Dear Caldwell,
One of the great comforts of life is knowing when we are right and when our enemies are wrong. Feels great, doesn’t it? To fire off that email or Tweet. To share that meme. To grumble about our opponent behind his or her back. Sure, we know that they might not like us much, either. But that’s all the more justification for how we feel about them!
Let’s tell the truth. In this highly charged society, fed by the jet fuel of social media and one-sided news channels, just about every one of us has felt like that at some time or another (whether or not we acted on that feeling). And … that makes us part of the problem.
The challenge is changing our ways – and Jesus didn’t mince words in saying that is what he expects of his followers. In the Sermon on the Mount, as we’re reading through on Sundays, Jesus tells his followers that they are to seek peace with their enemies BEFORE they come to worship. In that order. First things first. Don’t wait for our enemy, our accuser or our opponent to come to us seeking reconciliation. No, if we know in our heart that we’ve got a beef with another person, Jesus says it’s on us to go to them. (Matthew 5:21-26, 43-44)
This is an unwelcome word, isn’t it? And it seems like an impossibly high standard, especially in these days when our disagreements in America seem to be so stark and deeply rooted.
As we travel from Sunday to Sunday this week, Gail and I are pondering just what Jesus was thinking when he included this daunting admonition in the Sermon on the Mount. We will preach on it in tandem Sunday. In worship, we will also pray over our youth as they begin Confirmation Class and commission a team that will travel next week to visit the National Memorial to Peace and Justice, a memorial to all those who were lynched, in Alabama.
Meanwhile, you are showing up in as the salt of the earth and the light of the world. About a dozen Caldwell folks came to court today to support Noah Proud, our youth who is in foster care, as we work to get permission for him to be here more often on the weekends. I think that’s what the Bible meant when it speaks of “bearing witness.” When Noah puts his head on his pillow tonight, he will know how much he is loved – by you and by the Lord.
As for me, I traveled to St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, NC, today to meet with students there interested in applying for our Hope Social Justice Internships this summer. Hope “alumni” Nate, Steffan and Julian all dropped in to say hello and share a little with the other students about the joy of being embraced by the Caldwell family.
So, thanks to so many of you, Caldwell is able to do its best to be that “Shining City on a Hill” wherever we may be. Thanks be to God.
Look for a full round-up of what’s happening in Caldwell This Week on Friday.
In Christ,
John