A collection of the thoughts running through my mind early this week.
This past Saturday at the Marion men’s breakfast, while we sat around the table eating a delicious breakfast prepared by Uncle Leonard and Mahlon, Mahlon asked a question…
“If Jesus were alive today, would he be in Minneapolis? And if so, how would Jesus respond?”
I think it is an important question to think about.
As I sit at my desk and type this, it is Martin Luther King Day…
I am still sitting with Mahlon’s question and now reflecting on Martin Luther King’s work to advocate for equality and civil rights.
What is our role as follower of Jesus in all of this?
This week as we continue our series on community, we will be looking at being committed to truth in love. I invite you to read the three epistles of John. I have found it is easier for me to understand these books if I read them together. First John reads more like a sermon than a letter… a sermon to a community experiencing some “stuff”. Second John reads like a personal letter to that same community. And finally, third John is a personal letter to an individual within that community.
These epistles are full of church disagreement, people leaving the church, those who were part of the church spreading false doctrine, and John responding to the community on how to handle some of these challenges.
All of this seems more relevant now than it did back in the fall when I spent time with this community series and with these scriptures.
Is any of John’s instruction relevant to us in the United States in 2026?
How do we balance Romans 13 (obeying governing authorities) and Matthew 22 (love your neighbor) along with Leviticus 19 and Matthew 25 (welcome the stranger)?
How would we respond if ICE shows up in our neighborhood or at our church?
What practical support can we provide to impacted families?
Should we engage in protests or civil resistance?
Are there ways we can de-escalate the tension, locally, nationally, and internationally?
I don’t have the answers to these questions, but what I do know is that rarely does God act in ways that I expect and almost never in the timeframe I am wanting.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Let’s talk about it on Sunday and use scripture as our guide as we seek to be committed to truth in love.
~ Pastor Dustin
