Dear Church Family,

A unified church pleases God! In Psalm 133, the psalmist reminds us of this truth. The following is from The Message paraphrase by Eugene Peterson:

^1-3 How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along!

It’s like costly anointing oil flowing down head and beard, Flowing down Aaron’s beard,

flowing down the collar of his priestly robes.

It’s like the dew on Mount Hermon flowing down the slopes of Zion.

Yes, that’s where God commands the blessing,

ordains eternal life.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+133&version=MSG

The New Testament echoes this desire of God. For example, Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth and said, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Cor. 12:27)

And Paul wrote the following to the Ephesian believers: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Eph. 4:2-6) On Sunday February 7, the sermon focus was Matthew 5:13-16 where Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth . . .” (v. 13) [and] “You are the light of the world . . .” (v. 14) In the sermon I pointed out that both occurrences of “You are” are plural, meaning they are collective. In other words, Christianity is like a team sport comprised of unique individuals from all walks of life and backgrounds.

God has called us to influence our world, that it would made more likened God’s kingdom – “on earth as it is in heaven.” This takes all of us walking side by side and hand in hand, with the common goal of sharing Jesus with others through our kind words and humble service.

This means that we cannot do this work alone. And we cannot allow anything to get in the way of our mission. We need each other to fulfill the mission of Jesus which is to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).

Recall this illustration from Sunday’s message: The story is told that a congregation constructed a new sanctuary in which to worship. It was beautifully constructed, traditionally consistent with symbolic Christian architecture, practical in every consideration and lovely in every detail. Only one thing was omitted. There were no lights.

Instead, little niches had been fashioned into the walls and window bases which were to hold candles. Each member was assigned a niche and told that they were to supply the candle for that particular spot. When someone did not come to worship their spot would remain dark.

In a very real sense, they were the light, and they got the message. They also understood that they were not only the light of the Church, but the “light of the world.”

Huguenot Road Baptist Church . . . ⁶ Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Col. 4:6)And remember that “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14)

In Christ’s care and service,