General Notes

General Notes What We Are Against “I am the good shepherd.  e good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  e hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.  en the wolf attacks the  ock and scatters it.  e man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” - John 10:11-14 “But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus answered them, ‘t is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’” ~ Luke 5:30-32

Far too often, Christianity is known for what it stands against. A December 2017 article in the Washington Post written by a Virginia religious studies professor challenged Christianity to examine its own values. Paraphrasing, the writer said, we read Scripture and listen to folks share the teachings of Christ, but far too often look down on the poor, discarded prison inmates, and love the death penalty. We can be a pretty cruel crowd.

While that indictment is not universally true, it might serve as a wake-up call for some of us to think about whether we are predominantly issue driven, with a clear understanding of what we reject, while not being nearly clear enough that Jesus Christ came to love and rescue people, especially the broken.

We who claim to mark the footsteps of the Master should be best known for our kindness, neighborliness and open arms. Th is does not mean, however, that we have no framework for understanding what is good and what is evil. Jesus Himself didn’t shy away from calling people who were living Godless lives, “sinners,” but he didn’t do so in blistering condemnation, only with compassion and a heart to receive and transform them. Christians ought not compromise truth (Jesus didn’t) while all the while being sure to LOVE people.

In this issue of “Th e Connection,” we will be recalibrating ourselves to the true compass of Christ Himself. What did HE talk most about? Who were HIS chosen companions? Where did HE spend his time and energy?

Jesus off ered His own answer to those kinds of questions this way: “Th e Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free” (Luke 4:18). Who For

Rev. Max Edwards International General Superintendent