Unity Above All Else
Hello Friends,
We recently made the decision to send out our Eaglemont newsletter on a monthly basis as opposed to weekly. That caused me to think (along with the pastoral team’s encouragement) that I’d like to connect with you occasionally via this blog.
It will not necessarily be a weekly blog but will be sent out as things arise in my heart or as I come across resources that I think could be helpful to Christ-followers in their journey of growing as an ‘apprentice’ of Jesus. It will be focused, primarily, on my ‘shepherding’ of Christ-followers within the Eaglemont Church family. At times it may simply be sharing my reflections on a Scripture verse that encouraged or challenged me since I consider myself to be a fellow disciple, growing in Christ with you.
In this blog, I want to share a few thoughts about the 2-year ‘journey’ we recently came out of. By God’s grace, and by the spiritually mature choices of people, Eaglemont Church was spared big ‘fights’ about covid and related issues. Of course, there were differing opinions on various aspects of life and of church life over the last couple years, but I’m so grateful that people of Eaglemont Church, by and large, desired to be an answer to the prayer of Jesus for unity in John 17.
Having said that, there are, no doubt, some relationships within our church family that still need forgiveness to be given and received. Division is so pronounced in our culture and it’s too easy to let it seep into the church. Let’s not allow that to happen.
The New Testament writer Paul put it clearly in his letter to the Christ-followers in Ephesus in the first century: Ephesians 4:2-3 – “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.” My Christian friends, I ask you to be tenaciously committed to this!
In an article in Faith Today magazine (May/June 2022), Karen Stiller wrote: “By now, all of us have probably experienced the jolt of realizing we were not on the same page with a good friend or family member about the vaccine, or how the government responded during COVID, or the…convoy.”
As Stiller goes on to wisely point out, some of us may need to invite the process of reconciliation. I echo her desire to see believers (especially those in the same local church family) say something like,
“I love you and forgive you, even though I felt hurt by you, or misunderstood by you.” Or to be humble enough to say, “Please forgive me, I judged you because you viewed some things differently than I did. Unity in Christ matters most.”
Those types of expressions bring joy to the heart of our Heavenly Father. I encourage you, if any of this applies to you, to be a Christ-follower who contributes to God’s joy in this by “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit” in the Eaglemont Church family.
- Pastor Marlo