Harmony
Many of us woke up this morning to news that Russia has invaded Ukraine. It was news I certainly did not want to wake up to and I am almost certain you did not want as well. After almost 2 years of dealing with the chaos of this pandemic, now we can include a war that may effect our lives in a way that we have not seen since World War II. So what are we to do? At the beginning of the pandemic I wrote the below blog post to encourage harmony in a time of great difficulty and I believe the same message then is what we need to remember now as well.
I have always loved hearing the sound that comes from a barbershop quartet. If you are unfamiliar with a barbershop quartet, it is basically a group of 4 unique singers (a lead, a bass, a tenor, and a baritone) that harmonize together to sing a song a capella. What is so amazing about the sound is that although each singer has a unique voice, they come together to deliver such a warm and unified sound which we know as harmony.
Harmony is the composition of individual sounds that comes together in a consistent, orderly, and pleasingly unified way. Harmony doesn’t require everyone to have the same voice or play the same instrument but comes from everyone contributing to the same tone.
Harmony in our world should be considered in the same light. We won’t all have the same voice, nor will we use the same God-given instruments, but if we can have the same tone, which is love, we can achieve harmony. The Apostle Paul in the fourteenth chapter of his letter to the Romans makes an appeal to harmony. In the Roman church there was a disagreement concerning regulations of the Mosaic law regarding dietary regulations and the Sabbath. Paul insisted that you don’t have to agree over this matter to love one another. For our mutual affection for one another does not come from our agreement on how to live but instead but who we live for, we live for Christ.
Paul goes on to say that on matters that you disagree or find your neighbor in the wrong it is not your responsibility to cast judgement on them. Judgment comes from the one whom gives us all life. Instead we should be walking in love making sure our own actions do not contribute to our neighbor stumbling. If you consider yourself strong in faith, then it is your responsibility to live your life in such a manner that builds up your neighbor not tears them down.
This is not a time to be divided by politics. This is a time for Americans to put our differences aside and support the men and women making the decisions to restore peace in our world. A UNITED States is what we need right now and we Christians need to set the example of love so that others can see what that looks like.
In God’s grip,
Pastor Chuck Church
