We are a reconciling congregation!

But what does that mean? I would imagine for some it is the long awaited declaration that all are welcomed. For others it becomes the identifier that invites the unknown. Yet for some it is the sound of the door closing on what “church” has been. Beloved, every one of these feelings are valid. We each bring our own traditions and experiences to the table of understanding what it means for us at St. Paul's.

Having recently remembered the reconciling work of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it seems timely to embrace the fullness of what it means to be reconciling.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition says to reconcile is to restore harmony. I discovered that one of Webster's definitions of harmony is an interweaving of different accounts into a single narrative. Bingo! In other words, reconciling is to be about the work of creating a beloved community, where the uniqueness of our individuality is celebrated as the necessary part of our wholeness!

We declare that we are intentional about the work of weaving the many different threads of our community into the story of Christ’s love! That’s what it means to be reconciling. It is not an indictment against anything we are not. It is the purposeful declaration of how we intend to live out our faith, by seeking out the voices of others to be added to the story of our congregation. It is about the work of reconciling that extends beyond our congregation, spilling over into our community, and our homes.

So let us be about the glorious work of restoring harmony in places where the sound of joy is just waiting to be released. We have sung the songs of lament long enough, let us sing a new song!