The above quote has always been a favorite of mine because it so aptly describes the vision I have for the Christian church, which is called to embody an alternative way of life in the world. I am always longing to be a part of such a faith community and have to admit that I have not known very many Christian communities that seem to take that calling seriously. All too often they mirror the values of the dominant culture, catering to a competitive, consumer mentality that is more concerned with marketing their product than with being faithful to the one who teaches us that the greatest among us are not the ones who can boast the greatest success by this world's standards. The standard by which we measure our faithfulness is Jesus himself, the one who gave himself completely in love for all people: those who are easy to love and those who are hard to love, those who are a lot like us and those who are not at all like us, those who deserve to be loved and those who don't.

It's not easy to love like Jesus did and our attempts to model our lives after his are flawed at best. That's why God gives us the gift of community, so that we can support one another along the way. No, we can't possibly love God and other people as completely as Jesus did, but within our faith community we can encourage one another to grow in faithfulness as his followers. We have a common desire to allow the grace of God to transform our lives and respond to that grace by sharing it with those who long to know the love of God in their lives as much as we do.

Those of us who are a part of Holy Trinity are here because we are drawn to this community of faithful people who are striving to live out a bold mission that is so contrary to the values of the world around us. If you're seeking to become a part of such a community, perhaps God is calling you to join us at Holy Trinity on this journey of faith.

You can read Pastor Nancy’s blog or you can reach her by email.