Sinners and Saints

The main keynote speaker on Wednesday night was a tattooed-covered pastor from Denver, CO. She shared her story and how for most of her life saw Christians as people who were judgmental and male dominant. After recovering from drug and alcohol addiction she met her husband who introduced her to the Lutheran church. She ultimately learned about Grace and how all of us are simultaneously a sinner and saint. This made sense to her because she always felt that she had an incredible capacity for destruction (of herself and people around her) and also a tremendous capacity for kindness. Her story and her ministry to people like her who feel like outsiders from the church give a profound example of the radical Grace of God. None of us are perfect and God has a history of working with misfits like us to accomplish the work of salvation. The youth were captivated by the story and words of Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber.