Made One

"Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them." John 17:25-26

Yesterday, I did not write this blog - it was our 35th wedding anniversary and we were traveling overnight. It was a truly wonderful day and when we arrived home it was even better (if that is possible) - our daughters were preparing a delightful seafood feast in celebration of our anniversary. We sat around the table and laughed, telling stories and sharing our old and new tales of adventure and challenge. After thirty five years, I am more grateful than ever to be married to Mark. God has blessed us in so many ways and we have had more adventures and more delights than I could have imagined all that long ago. Love flourishes and laughter and forgiveness continues to flow.

In his last days, Jesus was praying for his disciples and those who would follow after them - well, us. His prayer was that we would know love and that we would have such care for one another that we would be one family. That we would be one with love at our core. Looking across the church these days, that prayer is still necessary, still central to our aim. As divided as we might be, God's desire for us is to be one - to forgive and to renew as a people, a family together.

Today, I want to be an instrument of God's desire for unity. I ask that through me others might find and seek forgiveness, might learn new ways to live in community and might seek reconciliation rather than perfection and power. May we all be instruments of God's peace. the peace and love which make us a family despite ourselves, and which is always inviting and including others.