A Call to Love and Service
Dear First Pres SLO Family,
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus the Messiah, who showed by his life and ministry, and his death and resurrection, that the promises of God could be trusted.
It has been a tough news cycle these past few weeks. Storms in the Southeast, wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East, and our own election season that pits many of us against people we would otherwise love dearly.
Anyone else feeling weighed down by it all?
Karl Barth wrote: “Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.”
But that’s not easy.
I think that Paul felt much the same as he wrote his letter to the church in Rome. The occupation of his homeland reminded him every day that his people did not control their own destiny. His calling from God turned him into a nomad, traveling far and wide to share the gospel of Jesus with the Gentile world. And within the early church, there was conflict—sometimes minor squabbles and at other times, major theological problems to solve—would there ever be a time when Christians could just relax and live in peace?
I’m not sure any of us are going to like the answer to that.
It’s not that we can’t enjoy ourselves. Our journey through the Book of Ecclesiastes earlier this year reminded us that in the midst of all that life throws at us, we’re called to enjoy what life has to offer us every day. But none of that removes our connection to the needs of the outside world and the opportunities for service that those needs place before us.
There is a time for relaxing and seeking peaceful rest (God invites us to enjoy Sabbath breaks), but our lives are meant to be filled with engagement and service. It’s what our lives are like when we allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit. In Romans 8 Paul says:
“…those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” (v.5)
In other words, when we’re led by the Spirit of God then our priorities and values will align with God’s. We’ll care about what God cares about, weep when God weeps, rejoice when God rejoices, and so on. When God is our compass, we’ll follow in God’s direction.
Somehow that’s a comfort to me in these trying times. There’s so much that I can’t change—so much about the world that reminds me of just how powerless I really am. But that’s not the whole story. When I allow the Spirit to lead me in my living and working and spending and interacting with other people, I’m sharing in the way God becomes known to the world God created and loves.
That’s our contribution, yours and mine, to the struggles and conflicts facing the world today. When we love as God loves, we become a visible and tangible extension of that love for people who need that message so badly.
Let that be your contribution to the world today. Be a reflection of God’s love and heart for justice in your neighborhood, your office, your classroom, and your household. Make that your answer to the invitation to love God and love others.
Blessings to you,
Pastor John