“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” – Colossian 3:14
Recently in worship we recognized the new 50 year members of St. Luke’s. We celebrated the memories they’ve created. We also recognized the 3rd graders. It was a joy to see them receiving their Bibles and celebrate the lives they will begin to live. The children had their names called and were given Bibles by one of the 50 year members, Jim McKillen. Jim would say their name, tell them congratulations, and tell them that he was so proud of them. He said that to each one of the 3rd graders.
Now, to some it might have seemed like he was just saying it to say it, but watching him you could tell that he said it because he meant it. He said it as if they were all in his family. He truly meant every word he said because he believes that we are all connected in this family of faith.
In our world, there is so much hate, so much pain, and so much sadness. Sometimes we tend to forget the love that God shares in our lives. When Jesus was preaching and performing miracles, he shared love to all people, not just a certain few. He talked with elders and he talked with children. Jesus treated everyone equally, he didn’t judge them based on age, race, or any way that made someone different. He did this because he knew the more important fact, that we are all the children of God.
When Jim was handing out Bibles, he showed the same love to each child, because he knew that love that we all strive to know. Our wisdom and faith grows over time; these 3rd graders are just starting on their faith journey and some of our 50+ year members are approaching the end of their journey here on earth. Everyone can know the strong love Christ has for us. Once we experience that love, we grow in our faith, and then we share and serve with that love to become light in a dark world
In that special worship service, I witnessed the love of God being passed down from generation to generation. A love that is ever enduring to all people, of all age, race, gender, and so much more, because the love of God knows no boundary, and has a greater power to change the world than any weapon or any message of hate. With God’s love, we can make a difference and bring hope to the world.
Brooks Lambert
