Church programs for Monday, Jan. 22 will resume their normal schedule at all locations this evening.
Leawood’s Sunday night in-person worship has been moved to 4 pm for Sunday, February 11.
1 O come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the LORD is a great God
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture
and the sheep of his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice!
I’ve been blessed to have many wonderful teachers in my life. Today, I’d like to share about two of them, both seminary professors.
One taught evangelism. He was very conservative theologically and politically. We looked at the Bible in fairly concrete ways and memorized many verses along the way. We learned how to share our faith with confidence and focused on leading others to Christ. The Gospel message was key and salvation was the goal.
The other professor taught Old Testament. She was very liberal theologically and politically. We examined the cultural and historical context behind the Scriptures. We looked at what the Biblical stories taught us about God’s character and the nature of our relationship with the Divine. Questioning everything was not only okay, it was encouraged.
Both of these professors were vital to my seminary education and my faith life. They were outstanding teachers and mentors. They listened and provided wise counsel and encouragement. They prayed with and for me and helped me through some of my most challenging times. And together, they taught me one of the most important lessons of all.
You see, these two professors with vastly different backgrounds and strong opposing views were good friends. Though they disagreed, sometimes passionately, they found common ground and embraced the thing Jesus said was most important–love. They cared deeply for their students, the seminary family and the wider community. They served alongside each other with grace and compassion. They showed me that being one isn’t about agreeing on everything. It’s about agreeing on what we can, loving one another through the process and living out our faith together.
As you pray today, I invite you to lift up those with whom you disagree. Pray for them and their families. Pray for opportunities to discover common ground and to work alongside each other for the good of all. Pray for love to reign; so that we might be just, kind and humble together as one. Amen.
Chris Holliday serves as the Resurrection West Connection & Care Pastor and Adult Discipleship Director. Chris has been in vocational ministry for over 20 years and has served in many other roles including youth pastor, associate pastor, co-pastor, pastor of music and worship, and minister to single adults.