They will know us that we are Christians by our love, by our love. Not by our doctrine, our rantings and disagreements, our theology, but by love.
I love this quote from our reading because I believe with all my heart it summarizes the soul of ministry as I see it in the church.
"If God's will is that we should all walk humbly with our God, then God's will must be that those of us who are doing just that help others get to the same place." (French, 61)
Well said Henry. At least as I see it we have been so consumed by division, who we are not, how one group of us Lutherans in our church may or may not understand scripture that we have completely and ultimately missed the whole point. It isn't about playing capture the flag and taking the other team out. It isn't about declaring a winner or a looser, about breaking ties and finding new expressions of the church. It is about how I can effectively encourage a brother or sister in Christ to walk with God whether or not I may agree with their position in life, their social structure, their lack of knowledge of sin and redemption, beloved this comes through a relationship not beating someone into submission. I am tired of the battle lines that have been painted brightly on our church walls, in our colleges, in the synod, and in God's church. I know the teachings of scripture and as a pastor held to the confessional expression of scripture and the Lutheran confessions I am held to these guiding points. I understand that. I also understand and hold a pastoral conviction that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That I believe in a God who has found the lost sinner in me and enabled me to find grace. This is the church that I love and serve
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