Courage for the Unknown: Learning the Way of Love Together

Dear Bethany community,

This Sunday, we will conclude our journey through the writings of the Apostle Paul by reading more of his letter to the Romans. In Romans 12, Paul gives the early church a vision for what transformed life in Christ together can look like. Paul describes the posture we are called to bring into the world: “Let love be genuine.” He writes about rejoicing with those who rejoice, weeping with those who weep, practicing hospitality, caring for one another, and living in peace.

Paul doesn't simply give us a checklist for being “good people.” He is describing a community shaped by the love of God. A people who have been transformed by grace and who, in turn, practice grace with one another.

One of the most challenging parts of this passage comes when Paul writes about loving our enemies and responding to evil with good. The love Paul describes is not passive. It is a courageous love that refuses to let hatred, fear, or violence have the final word.

It takes courage to love in a world that often rewards division. It takes courage to practice hospitality when fear tells us to close our doors. It takes courage to believe that God is still creating something new among us when we do not know exactly what comes next.

As we prepare for my installation next Sunday, I find myself returning to this vision of the church Paul describes. The church is built by a whole community of people offering their gifts, their stories, their questions, and their love in service to God’s mission.

Bethany, we do not know every stone on the road ahead. But Paul's letter to the Romans reminds us that we do not journey empty-handed. We go with the gifts God has already placed among us. We go with one another. And we go with the Spirit who continues to transform us.

I hope you will join us this Sunday as we embrace what it means to live courageously through love.

Peace
Pastor Katie