Separation

If you see your brother or sister committing what is not a deadly sin, you will ask, and God will give life to such a one—to those whose sin is not deadly. There is sin that is deadly; I do not say that you should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly. ~ I John 5:16-17

It's important to remember that the first century church was trying to build a new kind of community: one built on trust, compassion, faithfulness, and relationship.

This was a church that knew it was important to stay together if they were going to be able to spread the gospel.

It was a church that was made up of sinners as well as saints.

One of the definitions of sin is separation from God - and from each other. There were sins that could - and sometimes did - drive those burgeoning communities apart. They needed to be addressed.

But sometimes what is also divisive is to pick apart the sin of each and every member of the congregation.

That is also liable to separate us.

It has been my experience that all too often many churches - and even THE Church - focus more on sin and less on unity.

More on judgement and less on love

There are many from the younger generations - Millennials, Gen Z - who are leaving the church in droves. One of the reasons they cite leaving is the focus the church puts on judgment for their lives and the lives of those they love. Many, many times, they feel that the church's stance on LGBTQ+ issues, and racial issues, leaves them feeling homeless.

That focus has caused separation. Tragically, that separation has caused many of these young people to feel separated from not just the church, but from God.

Sin is separation.

To separate others from God is sin.

The writer of 1 John knew that the church needed love to stay together.

And to stay together in love in order to bring others together so that all might be one in the gospel.

May that love be our love. May that unity be ours, May we not let our perceptions of what we do or don't believe to be sin separate us from God and each other.

You call all to you in love, Lord. May we not think we are the ones who get to decide who's get in and who's gets out of that loving relationship Amen