Read: Micah 6:6-8
“what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
It seems to me that the Bible puts very little emphasis on being right. It’s absolutely important to carefully discern the will of God through scripture, the tradition of the church, and various other factors. However, even when we think we’re right I’m doubtful the call of scripture is to attack or discredit those we disagree with. How we act with the knowledge we possess (or think we possess) is as important as gaining the knowledge itself. Knowledge is knowing Frankenstein is the doctor and not the monster, wisdom is knowing it doesn’t always matter.
Very often, I think, the Bible compels us toward extreme kindness and generosity. Walking humbly, as this scripture puts it, reminds us that we are all fallible and limited. The best answer to disagreement, it seems, is to err on the side of generosity and love. In my view, facing judgment for being too kind is probably preferable to being too harsh or exclusionary. We are all on a journey, and it’d be a mistake to act as if we’ve arrived. Even if we have, it seems more faithful to cheer on those who walk the path of faith than to risk being a stumbling block.
O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heard and of one soul, united in one holy body of trust and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Leave a Reply