Faith For This Moment Devotional By Rick McKinleyናሙና

Day Two

Moments Like This

Scripture: John 13:34

The spectrum of churches in our country contains many denominations and theological traditions, and some, if not most, would not be happy to be associated with the others. 

To the world at large, this spectrum is very confusing. Most people who don’t follow Jesus or attend church are unaware of how detailed and complex our differences are. The watching world often lumps us together into one group. This means that telling someone we believe in and follow Jesus may bring to their mind Appalachian snake handlers; the militant, antigay hate speech of Westboro Baptist; an experience they had with a Southern Baptist; or a preacher they saw on TV. 

Sadly, few would think that we are rational people with a deep and abiding sense of the grace of Jesus and that we possess the heart and the will to love and serve the world in His name. The fact is that the loudest and strangest beliefs and practices on the spectrum make the news, while hundreds of thousands of believers who are actually living as salt and light in the world do not make the prime-time news shows or go viral on the web.

The world around us is not aware of the intricacies of theological debate, and the lack of unity in the church continues to cause confusion for those on the outside looking in. We are a society that is messy and complicated, and it appears that Christians, whose voices have been drowned out by misrepresentation and misunderstanding, have little to say about the things that matter most to the world. 

What I am excited about is this: we are not unique in this moment; God’s people have been in moments like ours. They have survived times of being marginalized and misunderstood. They have come through times when they were disciplined by God for unfaithfulness and found redemption in his mercy. Most encouraging is that, throughout history, God’s people have found a way to be faithful, prophetic, and imaginative as they discovered fresh ways to announce that Jesus is still Lord of all things, even in moments like this. 

In what ways do you see our country and our churches polarized today? How has that polarization affected your relationships?