Before we sing our next song, I want to share a brief word from my heart to yours. I love this church, and I thank the Lord for calling me here to serve as your senior pastor nearly ten years ago.
Some of you have been here for decades – a select few for more than half a century. You have seen this church weather many storms and come through stronger as a result. This is a tribute to God’s grace and your grit.
But now we’re in a crisis that’s quite unlike anything we’ve seen before. The drastic change it has brought to our lives is unsettling enough, but it’s been made worse by all the differing opinions, preferences and politics involved. On top of all that, the COVID crisis has catalyzed other crises – such as racial tensions, public riots, and political finger-pointing.
The world has responded as we would expect it too – with the “works of the flesh,” as listed by Paul in Galatians 5: “enmity, strife, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions … and things like these.” The Bible says, “that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
God’s people, the citizens of heaven, are different because his Spirit lives in us and produces his fruit in our lives – godly qualities that go together like a sweet cluster of grapes: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” These qualities are not generated naturally, but supernaturally – by the Holy Spirit of God as we yield our spirit to his.
Jesus said, “As I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” It’s the love of God in us and through us that makes us different from the world around us. And make no mistake: The world is watching us – on social media, the public square, and everywhere else.
Many of us have strong opinions concerning the coronavirus and how to regulate it, and we believe that we have compelling reasons for our position. The same is true of our political views. We all come from different backgrounds and experiences that shape our perspectives – even as we do our best to think biblically and live accordingly. The truth is, we are all works in progress. “And,” to borrow the words of the apostle Paul, “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, because I hold you in my heart … [and] all of you share in God’s grace with me” (Phil. 1:6-7a).
The beauty of God’s grace is seen as people are reconciled to God and to one another through the power of the gospel. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:9-10, “God is faithful, who has called you in to the fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” The only way we can truly “agree with one another in what [we] say,” and “be perfectly united in mind and thought” with “no divisions among [us],” is if we keep our focus on Jesus and the gospel.
Let’s show the world what we’re made of. Let’s show them that the gospel which unites us is stronger than anything that can divide us. Let us obey, in the power of the Holy Spirit, all the “one another” commands of the New Testament – Let us love one another, forbear with one another, forgive one another, serve one another, encourage one another, build up one another – sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to one another.
Our next song, “Speak, O Lord,” is a prayer for the Lord to have his way in our hearts as his Word is proclaimed. I can’t think of a more fitting song for such a time as this. May we sing it with “holy reverence and true humility.”