Brothers and Sisters --- and the Bishop

Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA^* was the preacher at church this past Sunday. He gave such a good sermon, no one minded that he broke several "rules" we Lutherans have about worship services, including having sermons over 15 minutes long. [I didn't have the heart to tell him that this "rule" seems to be unique to the ELCA, in my experience. :-) ]

Though there were several very inspiring and interesting points in Bishop Hanson's message, one that I really appreciated was this:

In baptism, we were born into a family of millions and millions of brothers and sisters. Like real brothers and sisters, we did not choose them, yet they are ours nonetheless. And, as in real families, we don't agree with everything our brothers and sisters do or believe, but they are still our family and we are called to love them. Finally, we must always remember that we have far more in common with our family members than we have differences. Focusing on differences is very easy in this culture of divisiveness and confrontation, but it encourages competition, judgment and strife. Focusing on commonalities, however, promotes harmony and allows us to work together on the missions we were all given.

The message was simple, biblical, and affirming.










^*Evangelical Lutheran Church in America