Dear Rose Park,
Breaking News: there is no news because we still don’t know. It’s still too early and it’s still too close. This election process has been long, arduous, and at times ridiculous. It has not brought out the best in us as a nation, but it would be foolish for us to think that an elected official would fix all our problems anyways and it would be just as foolish for us to lose hope in the Gospel of Jesus.
I wrote an additional letter to the church yesterday morning, below is a portion of that letter:
36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ – Matthew 22: 36-29
Love God and love neighbor. Being a Christian is that easy, and yet that hard. It’s easy to love God and love neighbor when life is going well: the job is secure, the children are safe, the scan is clear and the bank account is full. It’s far more difficult to love God and love neighbor when life is difficult. However, Christ’s words don’t come with a footnote or asterisk offering us an easy way out. We are simply and fundamentally called to love God and love neighbor regardless of our circumstances.
As we navigate a tremendously difficult and divided season of life (though election day has passed, it feels like we’re entering election week or even election month), I’d encourage each and every one of you to love God and love neighbor more now than ever. We stand in a crucial moment in our nation’s history; in this moment the Church must rise to the occasion to speak and show Christ’s love, because the world doesn’t need any more division, hatred, or bitterness. All of creation is groaning and it needs a sense of unity, humility, thankfulness, and joy. Rather than a silent population, the Church has an opportunity to be a shining and mobile light of Christ’s love to the entire world.
At Rose Park, it is our hope that we would love God and neighbor because when we do we’ll be drawn closer to each other as we’re drawn closer to Him.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark