Here we go with these letters. I am an infrequent reader of the Courier, but I find that if you wish to check the pulse of our denomination to determine how close we are to the New Testament church described in the book of Acts, just read a few of the letters to the editor. Jesus said in a parable (Matthew 25:40, 45) first summing up about the sheep: “As you have done to the least of these, my brothers and sisters, so you have also done to me.” And just so we won’t breathe a sigh of relief feeling proud about ourselves, our Savior and Lord also sums things up for us about the goats: “As you have ignored these, my brothers and sisters, so you have also ignored me.” It’s a basic truth from Scripture that should move us out of our comfort zone from knowing about service to – serving!
You’ve probably heard the line in the familiar song, “They will know we are Christians by our love.” Sometimes it’s hard to tell from these letters. Are we not supposed to reflect a spirit of Christian charity and civility? I thought so, too, but several end up getting published, although they miss the mark. Perhaps we should add letter-publishing criteria that include “unity in our mission.” Sad thing is, the extremes of “tradition” versus the “latest Bible translation” only serve to stir up those who regularly read this stuff rather than spending time studying God’s word, praying for wisdom and for the Holy Spirit to move us beyond petty minutia to being available to be used outside our comfort zone reaching the world for Christ, one person at a time.
What do you think? Click here to send a letter to the editor addressing this or another subject.