Harmony In Christ, Not In Our Sameness
Text: Romans 15:4-13 In the name of Jesus. Amen. We, humans, are deeply wired for community. We need someone to listen to us, to see us, laugh with us, and cry with us. We aren’t designed to be islands unto ourselves. And when we are isolated, we will go to great lengths to fill that void. Now, since this need for community is deeply embedded in all of us, it makes sense that Christians would be called together into a community, called the Church. But keep in mind, though, the Church is not a random collection of individuals who happen to show up at the same place for an hour on Sunday morning. No, the Church is a communion. A fellowship. A gathering of baptized believers, knit together in Christ, gathered around the Word and Sacrament. Yet, while this is true, we Christians still do something strange. We like to group up according to our own preferences. We seek out the familiar: people who look like us, talk like us, vote like us, and live like us. But dear friends,...
