Good Morning Friends,
Friends, we live in a deeply divided world, and sometimes it feels as though we have reached a tipping point. Yet Jesus offers something the world cannot manufacture: a unity rooted not in agreement, politics, or power, but in the transforming love of God. That kind of unity asks more of us than occasional acts of kindness. It asks us to think differently, surrender something of ourselves, and allow the Holy Spirit to give our lives a greater purpose. So, are you seeking unity through Christ’s radical way of love, justice, and peace?
Scripture Summaries:
Ephesians 4:1-6
Paul calls us to live with humility, gentleness, patience, and love, making every effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit. Though we are different, we belong to one body, share one Spirit and one hope, and worship one Lord and Father of all.
Luke 12:54-59
Jesus challenges us to discern the times in which we live. Just as we recognize signs in the weather, we should learn to recognize what God is doing around us and discern what is right, seeking reconciliation rather than allowing conflict to rule us.
Romans 7:18-25
Paul honestly describes the struggle within every human heart: we may know the good we should do and still fail to do it. We cannot rescue ourselves from the power of sin. Our hope is found in Jesus Christ.
Message: Have you ever looked closely at a brick? Each one is slightly different. My relatives in Little Egypt made bricks, and my grandfather helped build a church using old bricks that parishioners cleaned and reused. One brick standing alone cannot make a church. But place many bricks together, straighten them, and bind them with mortar, and something strong begins to rise. Perhaps that is an image of the Church. We bring our different shapes, histories, gifts, wounds, and imperfections, and the Holy Spirit binds us together in love. Christ is our Cornerstone, and grace is the mortar holding us together. But Christ does not simply hold us together. He changes us.Jesus teaches us to see the world differently, to discern what is right, to seek justice without condemning people, to forgive when the world demands retaliation, and to love when division seems easier. That is radical.And none of us does it perfectly. Paul understood that. We know what is right, yet something within us pulls in another direction. The answer is not simply to try harder. Our hope is the transforming grace of Jesus Christ.
And So, God takes imperfect people, like imperfect bricks, and builds something beautiful. Our daily choices matter. Every time we choose forgiveness over resentment, truth over deception, humility over pride, reconciliation over division, and love over fear, the Holy Spirit is building something through us. So bring God your unique life. Let Christ straighten what needs straightening, heal what needs healing, and bind us together as living stones in a community of love. The world desperately needs to see what only Christ can build. You can be part of the answer.
Pray that we recognize our need for grace. Pray that the Holy Spirit gives us strength to love. Pray that we discern what is right without condemning others. Pray that Christ turns division into reconciliation. Pray that our differences become gifts rather than walls. Pray that we seek justice through truth, grace, forgiveness, and peace. Pray that our imperfect lives, bound together in Christ, become a living witness to the world.
Blessings,
John Lawson
