Worship

Sunday, August 23, 2015 - 10:00am

Address:
Mackey Hall, Westminster Presbyterian Church
353 East Pine Street
Wooster, OH 44691

Presented By: Andries Coetzee

Last week in worship we meditated on two aspects of the domino effect - how kindness sets off a chain reaction, but also how even small acts of kindness can make big changes. This coming Sunday we will  consider the question; Is being kind enough for followers of Jesus of Nazareth?  Meditating on Ephesians 6:10-20 we will explore how the Gospel call to kindness leads us to an awareness to address the political realities of the world.  Consider the following quote from "Some Thoughts on Loving Kindness" by Kurt Struckmeyer)

"Scholar John Dominic Crossan proposes that based on God’s repeated concern for justice in the Bible, the primary function of the church should be to take on the ‘normalcy’ of the world, by which he means challenging the typically unjust social order in which a few prosper at the expense of the vast majority. Yet, far too many Christian communities are unwilling to accept this challenge because justice gets us involved in politics. In spite of this, Jesus and the prophets call each of us to strive for justice in our time and place.

Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue. (Deuteronomy 16:20)
Strive first for the reign of God and God’s justice. (Matthew 6:33)

The command to love our neighbor is always a political command. To follow Jesus and to proclaim the God of love, compassion, and justice leads us to a distinctly political stance of looking out for the welfare of our most disadvantaged brothers and sisters. Compassion, charity, service, and justice are all interconnected. Compassion is a motivator, while charity, service, and justice are concrete responsive actions toward those in need.

Will kindness save the world? Perhaps. Being thoughtful, considerate, and tenderhearted will certainly make us better people. But we are called to do more—much more. In the spirit of Micah, we are called to work for justice, to give and serve with all our heart, and to live humbly and simply as God’s agents of transformation." 

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