The Welcoming Church
Read: John 1:1-5
GPUMC has been officially designated by our denomination as a “Welcoming Church,” leading me to ponder what this designation could and should mean to all of us in the GPUMC family. As the hymnist stated, the church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord, our Saviour … and the one chosen by God to redeem His children and return them to their heavenly home.
Over the last two millennia, many branches of Christianity have appeared in response to the diverse perceived needs of God’s children across the globe. Jesus’ message of love and forgiveness can be distorted or ignored if fear is allowed to rule in the mind not wholly given over to love. Differing only in degree, all of humanity suffers from a separation-induced anxiety and sense of weakness. Often repressed, fear, guilt, and anger can be expressed in thoughts, words, and deeds that are less than loving, and fall short of the glory of God’s creation. Yet a deep-seated desire, indeed need, to return our minds wholly to our One Source calls from deep within us. It is like an ancient melody that we remember faintly at present, yet we recall how happy we were when we heard it clearly, and how we loved those who were with us then.
As God is creator and sustainer of us all, differences in national origin, race, educational background, economic status, and social or political affiliation become unimportant and rather meaningless when seen from the spiritual perspective. God is spirit, the Bible tells us. It also tells us that we are made in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, our essential selves are spiritual, not physical. Unlike seeing through the body’s eyes, the vision of Christ beholds the unity and wholeness of God’s creation. The gracious gift of vision offered by the Holy Spirit reflects love rather than fear, inclusion rather than exclusion, forgiveness rather than condemnation.
Over time, many have walked through GPUMC’s doors to worship, to pray, to laugh and to cry, to share a portion of their life’s journey and, above all, to seek the transforming love and power of God revealed to us in the life and teachings of Jesus the Christ. And many more will do so in the years to come.
As a church we have enormous potential to transform darkness into light, using all our resources for the healing of the cherished sons and daughters of God who are – each and every one – our brothers and sisters in Christ. We all have been endowed by our creator with gifts and graces, talents and abilities of worth and usefulness to God’s plan of salvation. To offer hope and helpfulness and the healing power of love and forgiveness is to continue the earthly ministry instituted by Jesus. The enduring appeal and joy of sharing is an enlightening experience that brings truth into our awareness, and the recognition that what was given to us in our creation has never truly been lost.
God’s eternal light is found within us all, to be accepted and allowed to radiate out into the world, awakening the minds of all who come to us for help on the journey back to God. Light always shines away darkness and grows in intensity as it is put to work by sharing it with others.
Jesus’ need for our commitment to continue His ministry remains undiminished over centuries of time, and is likely to be today even more crucial. We have wonderful potential to become a great beacon of God’s love and light in our community and beyond as we welcome all with sincerity and genuine appreciation into the work, worship, and fellowship of GPUMC. Our church’s future will be as bright as we dare make it. Is this not an exciting and energizing thought? In our reception of the Christ in all will the power of Christ be revealed. The grandeur of creation is contained in all of us if it is contained in any of us. Let us see it then in each and every person out of sincerest gratitude to the Author of life, in whom we have our eternal home.
These are the thoughts that came to me. They but lay a foundation. It is now up to each of us to bring the radiant, healing “Welcoming Church” into being!
Very truly yours,
Doug Dykstra
Read: John 1:1-5
GPUMC has been officially designated by our denomination as a “Welcoming Church,” leading me to ponder what this designation could and should mean to all of us in the GPUMC family. As the hymnist stated, the church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord, our Saviour … and the one chosen by God to redeem His children and return them to their heavenly home.
Over the last two millennia, many branches of Christianity have appeared in response to the diverse perceived needs of God’s children across the globe. Jesus’ message of love and forgiveness can be distorted or ignored if fear is allowed to rule in the mind not wholly given over to love. Differing only in degree, all of humanity suffers from a separation-induced anxiety and sense of weakness. Often repressed, fear, guilt, and anger can be expressed in thoughts, words, and deeds that are less than loving, and fall short of the glory of God’s creation. Yet a deep-seated desire, indeed need, to return our minds wholly to our One Source calls from deep within us. It is like an ancient melody that we remember faintly at present, yet we recall how happy we were when we heard it clearly, and how we loved those who were with us then.
As God is creator and sustainer of us all, differences in national origin, race, educational background, economic status, and social or political affiliation become unimportant and rather meaningless when seen from the spiritual perspective. God is spirit, the Bible tells us. It also tells us that we are made in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, our essential selves are spiritual, not physical. Unlike seeing through the body’s eyes, the vision of Christ beholds the unity and wholeness of God’s creation. The gracious gift of vision offered by the Holy Spirit reflects love rather than fear, inclusion rather than exclusion, forgiveness rather than condemnation.
Over time, many have walked through GPUMC’s doors to worship, to pray, to laugh and to cry, to share a portion of their life’s journey and, above all, to seek the transforming love and power of God revealed to us in the life and teachings of Jesus the Christ. And many more will do so in the years to come.
As a church we have enormous potential to transform darkness into light, using all our resources for the healing of the cherished sons and daughters of God who are – each and every one – our brothers and sisters in Christ. We all have been endowed by our creator with gifts and graces, talents and abilities of worth and usefulness to God’s plan of salvation. To offer hope and helpfulness and the healing power of love and forgiveness is to continue the earthly ministry instituted by Jesus. The enduring appeal and joy of sharing is an enlightening experience that brings truth into our awareness, and the recognition that what was given to us in our creation has never truly been lost.
God’s eternal light is found within us all, to be accepted and allowed to radiate out into the world, awakening the minds of all who come to us for help on the journey back to God. Light always shines away darkness and grows in intensity as it is put to work by sharing it with others.
Jesus’ need for our commitment to continue His ministry remains undiminished over centuries of time, and is likely to be today even more crucial. We have wonderful potential to become a great beacon of God’s love and light in our community and beyond as we welcome all with sincerity and genuine appreciation into the work, worship, and fellowship of GPUMC. Our church’s future will be as bright as we dare make it. Is this not an exciting and energizing thought? In our reception of the Christ in all will the power of Christ be revealed. The grandeur of creation is contained in all of us if it is contained in any of us. Let us see it then in each and every person out of sincerest gratitude to the Author of life, in whom we have our eternal home.
These are the thoughts that came to me. They but lay a foundation. It is now up to each of us to bring the radiant, healing “Welcoming Church” into being!
Very truly yours,
Doug Dykstra
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