Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules? – Colossians 2:20

There is so much we could talk about this morning in terms of what is going on in the news: Inauguration, MLK Day, “ceasefire” in Gaza. But this blog is more about the goings on of life in and around our adopted home town, Tarboro, and what God is teaching me from day to day.

Then I think about Sunday mornings, about how I am nurtured, encouraged, taught, fed and blessed here in our church community, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to be part of something so positive.

So of course our life here interfaces with today’s news! Church and faith have real implications in the wider world. What we do here really does affect the world of politics and civil rights and how we treat those we are at odds with. Communities like Howard Memorial Presbyterian Church absolutely make a difference. Fact is church turns out to be – more than we realize – just about all that is holding things together in our deeply fractured society.

Worth thinking about

This is something I want people who no longer participate in church to think about. Oh, they like the idea of church well enough – but they are not involved in the day-to-day of worship and education and mutual support and mission.

What they overlook – what we all overlook – is the critical fact that institutions such as the generic middle-of-the-road DPT (downtown protestant church) are critically important and in fact indispensable if we really value this American way of life that is more fragile than we realize.

Absent the ubiquitous “heart-of-the-community” moderate church, this society falls apart. It is not enough to say church is important, we have to actually participate. Simply put, we cannot cede the ground to the extremists who are attempting to nationalize Jesus and replace his cutting edge social conscience with reactionary politics.

We cannot cede the ground to the extremists who are attempting to nationalize Jesus and replace his cutting edge social conscience with reactionary politics.

Take a look around. Then imagine taking away the moderating influence, the social conscience and the unremitting good works of the mainline church. What remains is not pretty.

It’s already not pretty, friends. The time to protect the future is now, and it begins with (or it ends without) our active life of faith – DEREK