We will all be known for our love!

AM Psalm 45 • PM Psalm 47, 48
1 Kings 16:23-34 • Phil. 1:12-30 • Mark 16:1-8(9-20)

In the reading from Philippians today Paul says “Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents.” I immediately thought of the hymn They will know we are Christians by our love.

We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand
And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land

And we'll guard each one's dignity and save each one's pride
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

As a teenager I often sang this hymn and loved it! As a teen and college student of the 60’s this was an anthem for me. There was determination in these words. There was hope in these words. There was love in these words. I wanted to make them true during a time of the Vietnam war, the assassinations of JFK, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, and the Civil Rights Movement.

Right now, I feel like I am living a Déjà vu. I see our long involvement in Afghanistan come to an end, the strive and division in our country, the Black Lives Matter Movement. And once again I turn to the words of Paul, “striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel”. We can strive, we can walk hand in hand, we can remember who we are and how we are known.

It is true whether we were in the 60’s and in 2021, they will still know us by our Love. We must strive to guard each one’s dignity and save each one’s pride whether conservative or liberal; white or person of color; vaccinated or unvaccinated; Christian, Jew or Muslim.

Because you see THE HYMN GOT ONE THING WRONG! There is NO us or they! There is only ALL! We are ALL Children of God. All are created to be worthy, to be loved, to have dignity and to be proud of who we all are together hand in hand!

Written by Chris Schaefer

A girl of the 60’s, ready wave her peace flag again and say “love each other”!