The last of our short series of sermons today brought together some ideas from Amos 5 and Romans 12.

From Amos the famous, 'I hate, I despise your religious feasts' and from Romans some examples of life in the Body of Christ, 'hate what is evil, cling to what is good.'

So if God says, or mioght say, 'I hate your Sunday services, I won't listen to your singing, not interested in your prayers, your drama, your music....' what might make God say 'I love it when...'?

I love it when you show hospitality... opening your doors and your hearts to people who might be very different from you and challenge you.

I love it when you are generous... not just giving to charity collections but sharing the abundance you enjoy

I love it when you show empathy... genuinely rejoicing in others' happiness and supporting them in dark palces without resorting to telling them how bad it was for you.

I love it when you live together peaceably and in harmony... not a wishy-washy evasion of difference or complex issues but an open-hearted learning to live with difference, to change and to be changed.

What does the Lord require of you, this only this, do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God (Micah).

In the end I enjoyed preparing the series, even though it felt hard going at times.  Hopefully we have learn how fear, doubt and hate can, if rightly understood and exercised, be an authentic part of discipleship lived out in faith, hope and love.

Next week some word games for rogation Sunday as I use the title 'beating bounds'.