Pastor David’s devotional: April 7,2021

Colossians 3:12-15
12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord[a] has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.

“But the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the beloved community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends. The type of love that I stress here is not eros, a sort of esthetic or romantic love; not philia, a sort of reciprocal love between personal friends; but it is agape which is understanding goodwill for all men. It is an overflowing love which seeks nothing in return. It is the love of God working in the lives of men. This is the love that may well be the salvation of our civilization” (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “The Role of the Church in Facing the Nation’s Chief Moral Dilemma,” 1957)

Easter was spectacular. But what else would we expect? After all, Easter is the celebration of Jesus resurrection, and the victory of love over fear and death. It is the celebration of a victory that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord. We who follow him are defined by him, by his love and mercy and desires for our lives—we are defined by resurrection power! We have much to celebrate! Easter is spectacular.

April 4 was not only Easter, but it was also the 53 anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination. Along with being a powerful prophetic voice for human rights, Dr King was a pastor and preacher. His “I have a Dream” sermon remains the most powerful sermon I have ever heard (and I have heard a lot of sermons and preached almost as many). As a pastor and preacher, Dr. King was deeply rooted in scripture. In the quote above, Dr. King spoke of love—the same love St Paul spoke about in Colossians 3: “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” There is no power at work in this world greater than the power of self-giving love. Easter is a profound reminder of this simple truth: love is victorious! God’s love has even overcome death! In Dr King’s words” “this is the love that may well be the salvation of our civilization.”

Dr King lived in a time of deep-seated racial hatred. Racism was powerful and ugly. Racist people murdered human beings for no other reason than hatred because of skin tone. It would sound unbelievable if it were not true to this day. As we watch the George Floyd murder trial play out in front of our eyes, we are faced with the painful truth—racism is still with us, and it still kills people. After all these years, we are still battling the power of evil and injustice.

Ignoring sin does not make it go away, nor does using violence to overcome violence. The only power able to overcome the hatred of this day is the power of love, which brings us back to Easter.
Easter is spectacular! Easter is the celebration of what God has done through Christ Jesus our Lord, to bring healing to our lives. This love has the power to change things. It can change sinners into saints and “opposers into friends.” As Christians, we are called to give witness to the power of love: 1” As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord[a] has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.”

As we grow in God’s love, St Paul’s words increasingly describe us and our community of faith. What a powerful witness such a Beloved Community will have to a world broken by hatred and sin. Our life of love makes a difference! After all, love is victorious.

God bless you and stay well.
Pastor David