09-09-21

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
September 9, 2021
Scripture: Zephaniah 3:9
Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder.

Thought for the Day: As I was working on my sermon for Sunday, I came across these words. Let me confess that I do not spend a lot of time in Zephaniah, yet my attention was drawn to the image of the peoples (plural noun describing a diverse group of people) whose lips were purified, who will then call upon the name of the Lord and serve the Lord shoulder to shoulder. Their oneness is not simply found in what they profess, but in what they do. This work that is done together is the work of restoration which includes the deliverance of the oppressed, the lame and the outcast (vs.19). It makes me wonder how much time has been wasted over the centuries attempting to get people to be of one mind, when a better approach might have been to find a common area of service. In fact, what does it say when a diverse group of people come together to do the work of care and compassion? Actions usually speak louder than words, so such work is to speak with one voice. Today, I am thinking about the diverse groups of people who are coming together to provide homes and needed supplies for refugees from Afghanistan. I have watched Christian groups that would argue with each other until they were blue in the face deciding to pause from the fight to help create a safe and inviting space. It might not change the world, but will change of few people’s worlds.

Prayer: Call to us and work through us, O Merciful God. So often we get stuck on trying to be right that we forget to do what is right. And maybe, just maybe, we can find some common ground and do some good work while still holding very different beliefs. Amen.

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