 THE POWER OF LOVE IS NEEDED RIGHT NOW IN THE AMERICAN CHURCH This past Saturday, the world watched Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, an American actress, unite in marriage in their captivating royal wedding. Michael Bruce Curry, an Episcopalian Bishop from the United States, delivered the message at the wedding. He quoted the powerful words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who once said, “We must discover the power of love, the redemptive power of love. And when we discover that, we will be able to make of this old world a new world. Love is the only way.” On This Side of the Pond While the royal wedding was happening, on this side of the pond, our hearts were breaking from another evil shooting in one of America’s schools, resulting in ten people killed and an additional ten wounded. This time, the shooting occurred on Friday, May 18, in the Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas. From South Florida to Southeast Texas, this evil knows no boundaries. What is the answer? Love Can Help and Heal When Nothing Else Can As Bishop Curry stated in the royal wedding on Saturday, “There’s power in love. Do not underestimate it.” After quoting from I John 4, reminding everyone to love one another, he later spoke these powerful words, “Love can help and heal when nothing else can.” It is love like this that will not just hold a marriage together, but it is love like this that has the power to mend over time the broken hearts and lives from the devastation of a school shooting. While the World is Breaking, the Church in America Needs to Rise Together in This Kind of Love Since the power of God’s love can help and heal the brokenhearted, the Church in America needs to become so immersed in this love, individually and collectively, that we rise to offer this kind of love in the world today. My church is a part of the Southern Baptist Convention. In my own faith family of Southern Baptists, we are experiencing some challenging times. I realize fully that issues in my own Baptist convention family cannot be ignored, nor can our problems be minimized. I have never been timid or fearful in dealing with our problems, and I certainly am not now. Yet, there is a right way to deal with these problems, and it is through the power of love. The power of love has seen us through problems before and the power of love will see us through again. Love leads to unity, not division. Love keeps everyone in mind, not just ourselves. Love respects and honors all people. While this world is breaking before our eyes and making promises it cannot keep, the entire Church in America needs to rise together in love in order to give this world the only thing we can give them that will last forever… the love of Jesus Christ. When we present this love, it must be real within us individually, but it also must be experienced between us as a family dynamically. This kind of love changes everything. Let Love Be Our Way Forward Our world cannot afford for us to be sidelined because of our attitudes. Our world needs us, but more than us, it needs the gospel of Jesus Christ that we are called to advance to every corner of this universe. Therefore, let love be your way forward. Never let anyone outside of your circle of love. As Christ followers, we do not just believe in thesanctityof human life, but also in the dignityof human life; that is treating each other in the right way while we are on this earth. Jesus prayed for us to be one, “so that the world may believe you sent me.” John 17:21 Therefore, let love be our way forward. Through our issues and through our problems, let love prevail through them all. God’s way is the always the right way. God’s way is always through love. Regardless of differences, love is still the way forward. We do need to rediscover the way of love, the redemptive power of love. Let love be our way forward. Now is the Time to Lead, Ronnie W. Floyd Senior Pastor, Cross Church President, National Day of Prayer ‘The Power of Love’: address by U.S. bishop at Harry and Meghan’s wedding from Reuters ******* Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the Senior Pastor of Cross Church, President of the National Day of Prayer, and founder of the Cross Church School of Ministry.
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THE POWER OF LOVE IS NEEDED RIGHT NOW IN THE AMERICAN CHURCH
