Gentle Reader,
I am obliged to believe in an abyss of love which is deeper than the abyss of death; I dare not lose faith in that love.
– H. Richard Niebuhr quoting F.D. Maurice, Christ and Culture, 226
The vice-presidential debate is on my television as I write. Normally I write on Monday afternoon and post on Wednesday morning, but we took some time yesterday to say “farewell” to our youth pastor who is leaving at the direction of the Holy Spirit to take on his first lead pastoral role. So I don’t have as much space for this as I normally would.
The people on the screen are telling me that there is fire, fire, dumpster fire everywhere. And I have to be honest and say that I agree. Not on every point, but on several points. Social conflict and hate and struggle is real. No point in ignoring that.
But there’s even less than no point in ignoring that, as Anglican theologian Maurice puts it, the abyss of love is deeper than the abyss of death. God has not abandoned the world to descend to hell in a handbasket. God is present. Active. God is ever-inviting everyone to come and know God, whether for the first time or more deeply than you did two days ago.
And politicians have almost nothing, if in fact nothing at all, to do with that.
It’s not a straightforward thing, I know, to figure out how to best respond to the very real issues of our culture. There’s pros and cons and complications. What is always straightforward is that there is exactly one Savior, and his name is Jesus Christ. Let’s focus on him. Let’s ask our Lord to dip us into that abyss of holy love that we might be truly changed and go out into that messy world with the soothing waters of peace and grace.
GRACE AND PEACE ALONG THE WAY,
MARIE
Image Courtesy of Hamish