Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:
Whew!
2020 is behind us. The presidential election and transition are behind us. If only Covid was behind us! I pray that many of you are getting vaccinated and soon we will be able to see each other in person again.
As I listened to the inaugural address last week, especially to the newly sworn-in president’s calls for unity, I thought to myself how we Disciples of Christ have been preaching unity since our very beginning. The Disciples were part of a movement for unity. “Christian Unity is our polar star” was one early slogan. Today, we continue and expand our quest for unity by calling ourselves “a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.”
I often tell people that Disciples of Christ are a great church “for such a time as this.” In a world full of division and conflict, in a world that has forgotten how to treat each other with respect, the Disciples offer an open invitation to the table. We invite all to come and eat, drink, serve, worship, discuss, pray, and learn together. We might disagree about theological or political positions, we might even argue in Sunday School, but then we go into the sanctuary, sit next to each other in pews, serve each other communion, and go forth to serve the world. Working together in unity is in our DNA. The Disciples are a movement for wholeness, and we seek to help create a less fragmented world.
My friends, I invite you to stretch yourselves this year, to exercise your unity muscles. I invite you to reach out to those you don’t know, to listen to viewpoints you don’t necessarily understand, to do your best to see the image of God that is in each one of us. We ALL want there to be less conflict in the world. Let us remember that we are called to BE the change that we want to see.
In eager expectation of seeing you all in person, Dios les bendiga!
Pastor Jay
Regional Minister and President, Christian Church in Arizona
COVID-19 Resources for Congregations
Arizona Regional Resource Page
“Healthy at Church” document from the Christian Church in Kentucky
