Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  Romans 8:31-35 

Like the author of the letter to the Romans in 8:31-35, I too am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. As God’s beloved we are never left destroyed. Yes, tragedies hit, life happens, and we are often tossed about like a boat in a storm. In our humanness, we are not exempt from brokenness.

In the presence of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit we are restored. We find wholeness. Unfortunately, this assurance doesn’t always reveal itself in ways that remind that we are connected to the fullness of God.

This is where Jesus’ resurrection, appearance to his disciples, and the proclamation of the “Great Commission” is important. When Jesus sent out his followers that were with him that day as well as all those who have continued to walk through the waters of baptism or proclaim him as Savior, we became a part of the promise of connectedness.

Our Church takes seriously this role of reminding that world that nothing can come between God and all of God’s people. As our denominational identity statement states:

“We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us.”

We are called to any act of love that connects the wholeness of God through our resurrected Christ, to a broken world. We are not sent to break down, but to build up. We have a purpose to live into, and as Yvonne Gilmore from the Office of General Minister and President reminds us our current mission “We are called to be a new church for a new time.”

I look forward to furthering the role we are to play in extending the wholeness of Christ.

Brett