Pastor’s Message – 1/20/2021

Today is January 20, 2021, a historic day in the life of our country. This afternoon, Joe Biden will be sworn in as our 46th President, and Kamala Harris, the first woman, first black woman, first woman of Asian descent, will be sworn in as the Vice President. As I reflect back on all the events that led up to this day, I am truly aware that Americans are extremely diverse. I am also reminded how this diversity can lead to harm. Our differences as Americans are what make this country great, and it’s our response to these differences that breaks my heart. Diversity, in whatever form it manifests itself, should not be seen as a liability when speaking about unity. One definition of unity is “the state of being one; oneness.” The Church is an example of the unity of believers. Although the Church is comprised of many different people with different gifts, its “oneness” is enhanced by its diversity. When the sacred worth of all people is recognized, the Church, the country, the world will move towards a future filled with hope.

“Now you can have sincere love for each other as brothers and sisters because you were cleansed from your sins when you accepted the truth of the Good News. So see to it that you really do love each other intensely with all your hearts.”

1 Peter 1:22, NLT

Peter urges his readers to have a loving mind. First, Peter describes the new birth and points out that one of the changes that it brings is love for one another. Next, he presses home the obligation to love. Many people know love as a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection as for a parent, child, or friend. People also know love as a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person, such as a spouse. But, when Peter speaks about an obligation to love, he is speaking about more than just a feeling. Loving someone who is not a spouse, a friend, a child, or a parent can be difficult. The call to love as God loves requires the believer to care for those who do not deserve our love, such as our enemies, those who have harmed us, those who do not look like us, those who do not act like us, those who come from the “wrong side of the tracks,” etc. We have found so many reasons not to love, but have ignored the only reason to love. God first loved us! Do we deserve God’s love? After all, we were born and will die on the “wrong side of the tracks,” yet God loves us unconditionally and forever.

Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone.

2 Peter 1:7, NLT

All of God’s children have sacred worth. Loving one another with an unconditional love will break down the walls of division. I have hope that one day we will live in a world where everyone has the ability to value variety and not view uniformity as the ultimate goal. Yet, that hope can only become reality when genuine love is experienced by everyone from everyone. Until then, we have work to do.

God’s blessing in all we do,
Pastor Ross