Often in church, we hear a line of worry, a concern “du jour” as it were. One heard a great deal are the deep concerns harbored over the debilitating divisiveness in our culture.
Many express their concerns from a middle place, a place neither far left or far right. It is a place where they sit, holding friends and family to either side, and in so doing, often feel “caught” or “stuck.”
Church – and this is a miracle I believe – can be a home for all sides. Why? Because our focus always must point to God, to others, to service, and ultimately to the common good. Church then becomes a middle place, a third way, a refuge from the relentless pounding we seem to do on one other all too often. It is where church transforms into a slice of heaven.
That does not strip away perspectives or candid conversation. But it gently lifts the conversation above partisanship into a higher place, a shift from debate and power to dialog and love.
As Jesus prayed, “protect them by the power of your name–the name you gave me–so that they may be one as we are one.” (John 17)
