Sunday, May 02, 2010
They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love
Click on any image, above, to view it in larger format or click on the arrow, below, to view the video of the Pastor's sermon.
What Is Reliable Evidence That We Practice Christianity?
Pastor Sue Gross titled her sermon, They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love, but she quickly segued into a reference to an article she had read about former U.S. President Jimmy Carter who once pondered another sermon title, If You Were Arrested For Being A Christian, Would There Be Enough Evidence To Convict You?
She said that former President Carter thoughtfully and honestly concluded, upon reflection, that he could probably talk his way out of being convicted, despite being a member of the largest church in his hometown, despite being a Sunday School teacher and despite considerable other evidence, including a lot of writing on the subject, that might also be presented.
If you plug that provocative phrase into an Internet search engine, you will find numerous choices to check out. We include only one example here:
http://www.collegechurch.com/resources/ocwg/evidence.pdf
You may have to copy and paste that website address into your computer's web browser if it does not show up on this screen as a live link.
Pastor Sue also mentioned a group of Oxford scholars, writers in England who formed a group during the darkest days of World War 2, called The Inklings. Among the Inklings was the well-known Christian writer C. S. Lewis. This group met regularly in a pub to discuss the possible fallout from their writing should the Germans actually invade and occupy Great Britain, a possibility that seemed very real at the time. But their concern was not for how they might be punished by the Germans, should that occur, bur rather if their writing would be sufficient to help the British maintain their Christian faith during such a calamity.
The Pastor's main purpose today seemed to be directed toward making all of us ponder the question to ourselves: How might we actually know that we are truly Christians? The Internet link, provided above, provides a good start toward answering that query.
She concluded her sermon by repeating its original title: They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love, linking it to one of the commands of Jesus for His Disciples and for us--that we love one another as He loves us.
Following the Pastor's sermon, and after Holy Communion, the congregation sang the well-known hymn, They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love.
Still, it's a great question to ask ourselves every now and then: Would there be enough evidence for conviction?
Amen!
