Church Directory

Every morning I open up my email and look through headlines of current events in the news. As I scroll through the items on my computer screen, my eyes move past headlines of pain that are happening around the world, around our country and even here in our state, county and community. As I finish the quick recap of the news that’s all too often littered with mass shootings, war and countless injustices and calamities, I then click out of that email and move on to the next item on my ‘To Do’ list.  

As I reflect back on the information that I collect each morning, I’m aware that there’s only so much I alone can do to contribute to the remedies of injustices in the world. And yet, it’s not lost on me how desensitized I’ve become to bad news. I ask myself, “As a follower of Jesus, what is my duty in a broken world?” Further, as the body of Jesus, what is our collective duty in this world that we’re called to?

I believe that Jesus answers these questions in the 25th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel where He illustrates what it looks like to follow Him. Jesus shares that the act of loving your neighbor is detailed by giving the hungry something to eat, the thirsty something to drink, inviting the stranger in, clothing the naked, looking after the sick and visiting those in prison. It may not be our duty to solely mend the injustices of the world, but what God is inviting us to, is to be a part of the work of reconciliation that the Spirit of God is currently doing. Jesus makes the point that we love God by being a part of His ongoing work. As the hands and feet of God, we are called to live a life of grace and mercy and to touch those around us with the same love that Christ used to heal the sick and eat with the lowly.