In light of the current state of the church, Bishop Karen offers a vision for the future:
One of my favorite choral pieces is Felix Mendelssohn’s “How Lovely Are the Messengers.” We sang it often in my high school choir. If you haven’t heard this beautiful anthem, listen to it here.
“How lovely are the messengers that preach us the gospel of peace. To all the nations is gone forth the sound of their words, throughout all the lands their glad tidings.”
As I reflect on my own journey of faith, those who shared the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with me, who taught me about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, who helped me experience God’s generous grace, were (and are) truly lovely. Their faith gave them a contagious joy. They did not hide their light under a bushel but rather held it high to light the way for others. Through them, I heard Jesus’ warm invitation to follow him. Because of their witness, I have spent my life trying to live more fully into his Way.
These lovely messengers never spoke poorly of another. They never denigrated another’s faith. They never built themselves up by tearing someone else down.
Instead, they kept loving people. They may have had enemies but I only heard them call people “friends”. They saw the best (meaning, they saw the God-potential) in everyone they met. And they encouraged us all to grow into it.
This is the kind of invitational, evangelical faith I hope every United Methodist church will embody. May the life-saving, life-transforming Gospel of Jesus Christ be lived out in the lives of each church member so vividly that it will be irresistible to others. May this gospel of peace shape how we extend our ministries into the world. May we all be worthy of this description:
How lovely are the messengers that preach us the gospel of peace.
Love,
Bishop Karen
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