Scripture: Jeremiah 31:3
The Lord appeared to us in the past, medical saying:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”

Thought for the Day: It’s funny, rx in a sort of depressing way. In a landmark agreement, order the U.S. Roman Catholic Church and several Protestant denominations have agreed to recognize each other’s baptisms. Yet even in this display of unity and acceptance, a true reflection of God’s everlasting love, there is a dogmatic hardline: baptisms must be performed only once, and they must invoke “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” in a throwback to the severity of Middle Ages Trinitarian doctrine. I guess we take a few steps forward and 1000 years back.

More than anything I want the body of Christ healed. I want to see the Catholics and the 33,000 Protestant denominations in America work together for reform—but not internal reform. We’re supposed to be working together to change the entire socioeconomic structure of the planet, the way Jesus attempted to overthrow the oppressive rule of the Roman Empire in his time. As Christians, as followers of Jesus, we are called to work together for healing, justice, love, and compassion. Yet, we continue to focus on our own rituals, condemning those who practice their faith differently, and finding it necessary to sign accords about—ritual. I think we’re missing the point, folks. Being church is not about ritual. The ritual is there to remind us of our connection with God and our duty to Jesus, so that we will then go out into the world and do something radical. The ritual is not church. It’s just an expression of our worship of God, and we should expect it will be different for different groups of us. Signing a sheet of paper stating the obvious is not progress.

I’m glad the Catholics and the Protestants are reconciling their differences though, I really am. Because now maybe they’ll start to actually become the church Jesus intended: a radical voice for social change, a mass movement of peaceful non-compliance against an empire that is as oppressive and dangerous today as it was 2000 years ago. Of course, for that to happen, we’re going to have to admit we’re part of the problem.

Prayer: Help us see the big picture, God who sees all, so we’ll stop arguing about insignificant details and get to the hard work of global reconciliation with you and each other. Amen.