A Word From Our Pastor
For many, this is the time schools reopen for the new academic year. Whether you're in grade school or college, most schools start their 2025 - 2026 academic schedule in August. It's also the time that many school sports programs restart, and people start rallying behind their favorite teams. It might be a team affiliated with a school that you're attending, one you've graduated from in the past, or a school that you simply like. Part of the motivation for funding sports programs and marketing them effectively is to create distinct identities for each school, offering opportunities for people to cheer on 'their team' and motivate competition with other schools. It creates 'us versus them' tribal boundaries that are usually relatively benign, and it encourages people to strive for domination as the top performers in their respective sports leagues.
Churches, however, do not work so well with this kind of tribalism. Tribalism across faith communities has led to schisms that have spawned counterproductive efforts to 'win' congregants to 'our side' and sparked acrimonious relationships that do not reflect a loving attitude. It's even worse when tribal groups start to form within faith communities, and lines are drawn based on someone's somewhat arbitrary criteria for delineating who's in which tribe. It may seem logical in the moment, but it doesn't reflect Christ's teachings that we are all bound into one family - one body - through love.
The rallying cry for the church in all seasons is about love - loving those who are cast aside by the rest of society, loving those who are lonely, loving those who are in distress, loving those who are frightened, loving those who are grieving, and loving God. This is not always easy. It requires effort, sacrifice, humility, courage, strength, and endurance - all bragging rights. It's all for God and the proliferation of love. This month, let's commit to rallying around the theme of love as we strive to build a stronger faith community that role models Christ's love in the world.
Peace and blessings,
Pastor Mike