Last week this space held a difficult subject – abortion and infanticide. Evils we should repel. But to many observers it appears as if we declare our opposition, separate ourselves from it, and then that is the end of the story. What if, instead, we were known for the way we reach out to those in difficult and hurting situations? If we had an unwavering reputation for reaching out to offer hope and not judgment? In this example, to provide a safe place and assistance for those who want to keep their child, but might not see a path. Or a loving place to ease a hard decision to offer the child up to a family that could care for and embrace the child.
I want to be involved with the healers of this world, the solution creators. Somewhere along the line, Christians have become defined by what we are against. But God gave us a great command to bring His kingdom – to be restorers that bring healing and the hope of His good news.
The apostle Paul gave us a model for that. Paul traveled in a pagan world filled with all kinds of indecency and immorality ascribed to their gods– but he didn’t say “don’t follow Artemis” or “Zeus is a fraud”. What he did is present the truth. And the contrast of the truth spoke so powerfully that he didn’t have to write a discourse on what was false or evil. It was obvious.
If we are so consumed in being obedient – in loving our neighbor, in bringing comfort, protecting the vulnerable, dispensing mercy…we wouldn’t have much time to rail against evil and injustice. And yet our very acts would condemn those things more powerfully than words ever could.
My renewed desire is to be known for God’s truth and grace. That we, as the church, would be known for our love and for bringing healing to a broken world. Let’s not try and “clean up” the world before declaring it worthy and dispensing grace. But let’s reach out now for the sake of the kingdom and follow the example of our Rabbi:
"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
The church is the most powerful force for good that exists in this world. Or at least we should be.
1 Response