Much has been made of the new tone of civility in Washington.
It won't last, but it's nice while it does. This tone was
highlighted during President Obama's Sate of the Union Address,
where members of congress intermingled their seating
arrangements rather than lining up by party, as has been the
tradition since the mid-nineteenth century. The interesting
thing about all this is that the majority of Americans are, and
have been for some time, clamoring for civility and respect in
the political and social arena. It is regrettable that the
Church has not been at the fore of this movement, and has,
instead, been fostering as much division as any other social
institution. This should not be.
The passage I included above from Galatians is one of many from
the Bible which stresses the unity of humanity. All of us are
united in our sin; all of us are united in our need for
salvation and reconciliation, and, in the shared baptism of 2
billion Christians worldwide, we are all are one in Christ
Jesus. It is my hope that the Church of Jesus Christ will pick
up the banner for civility and respect in our society. For our
parts, we should continue to make this a core message of First
Presbyterian Church. As we work on a new ministry to the
prisons in town, as we share our wealth with those in need, as
we welcome anyone who enters the sanctuary to worship Jesus
Christ, as we inaugurate the Open Table Concert series, as
welcome all who believe in Jesus to our communion table, we sow
the seeds of civility and respect. But there is much work to
do. The politicians will get back to their old ways soon
enough, but our nation clamors for a new tone. As Jesus'
Church, lets rise to the challenge.
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Prayer: Holy God, on this day I pray for those from who I
am estranged. I pray that I will feel new respect for those with
whom I disagree, new love for those whom I hate. Help me to be an
agent of reconciliation and positive change in this world. I pray
in Jesus' name. Amen.
[Phil Blackburn, First Presbyterian Church]
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