By The Rev. Dr. Carl Grosse
Since I came here, I’ve noticed something that is rare and very valuable. We all know how congregations and friendships and even families have been divided over politics, culture wars, and a few other things that seem to have ramped up the past several years. Fountain City Presbyterian Church has not escaped that trend, and I have preached and written about it from time to time. Hopefully, you perceive that I have less interest in taking sides than in clarifying what the Bible really says and trying to live it. God has given us some idea about what He values and what He expects of us. We can stay plenty busy working on the attention we pay to God and then doing what He tells us.
The rare and valuable thing is how I see you doing just that in stealthy, subtle, but very impactful ways. Many of you have shared how you struggle with certain things that could be divisive or difficult for relationships, and then I notice you making adjustments that I expect are hard for you, but mitigate tension and help keep people together. I hear you express how much your church family means to you and then watch as you let love for them carry more weight than whatever was difficult for you.
How often do we read in Paul’s letters that we should have patience with each other, forgive each other and be kind to each other? It’s a mistake to think that the early followers of Jesus got along perfectly and their interactions were all rainbows and unicorns. Do you ever wonder what the dynamic was like when the disciples were arguing about which ones were the greatest, or how the others felt when the mother of James and John asked Jesus to give her boys the first class seats in the kingdom? Jesus and Paul and others know what we’re like, that’s why they kept hammering on patience and forgiveness and kindness.
This church family is making impressive progress, and to see the small efforts you make to live the Jesus way is a huge deal. Seriously. I know it’s not like a new program or project in terms of pursuing growth. But whatever initiatives you take on with your next pastor will have vastly more chance of success because of this hard but good work on the little things.