An Important Conversation
Without question, our world is hurting. There are so many issues, positions, and opinions creating division in the world, in our country, and in the Church. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matt. 5:9) Jesus came to fulfill a mission of reconciliation, to make peace where there could be no peace. He did so by sacrificing his life for that peace. As Christians, we are called to be peacemakers by proclaiming the truth of this gospel of peace into the world. Essential to the proclamation of the gospel is the speaking of the truth so that we might shine the light of God’s righteousness into the darkness to expose sin and shine the light of his love that we might reveal what he values.
There can be no question or debate among the children of God that he values human life. After all, humans are the only of his creations that are made “in his image.” After all, humans alone among his creations are made “in his image.” We are the unique reflections of God in this world. We teach our children to sing, “Jesus loves the little children. All the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white. They are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.” If this is what we want our children to believe then we must not merely sing about it in the safety of our homogenous communities. We must step into the public square and call the world to value every life just as God values every life.
Therefore, I want to commend to you the conversation that is being hosted by our brothers and sisters at Lifepoint Church here in Clarksville. In the wake of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in GA (now compounded by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis), several pastors from our community stepped up to lead a conversation on the reality of racism. This past Sunday, Pastor Mike Burnette as well as four other pastors from our community and one pastor from outside our community began a two-week panel discussion regarding racism in America today. You can watch the first installment of their discussion here.
I want to encourage you to prayerfully listen to this conversation. It’s a conversation that matters because an essential truth of the gospel message is that every life matters. Christ came, lived, died, and was raised to redeem lives because God values us that much. How can we, as his children, not also value what and who he values?
If we want to be known as sons and daughters of God then we must be people willing to make peace in the difficult places. John has been encouraging us in his letter that we know that we have been born of God when we believe in Jesus, love like Jesus, and live like Jesus. Now is the time for us to do just that.
God bless you and to him be all the glory!
-Pastor Will