Definition of Faith
Dear MBC Church Family,
During the debate over the impeachment of the President for his role in the recent insurrection, a recurring refrain by his defenders was that the focus of the moment should not be on the failures of his leadership. The focus should be on the healing of the nation. That’s a fascinating, yet flawed, position to take, asking colleagues to forget about what they had just witnessed as an intentional effort to overthrow the final step in the electoral process, and asking them to bridge the cultural divide in the nation by undetermined means.
The call for healing may sound rhetorically appealing, but James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” There can be no national healing until political and religious leaders confess that they’ve been peddling election lies all along and then they commit themselves to tell the truth going forward. In the climate that we’re in, only by telling the truth will the healing begin.
One definition of faith is the act of believing in something, especially with a strong conviction. Those who committed the insurrection at the Capitol maintained a certain faith, not in something based on truth, but in something based on their demonstrably false views about a stolen election. What we saw unfold before us were individuals believing intensely in a lie and willing to fight for it, hoping that if they could believe hard enough in it, they would make their version of reality materialize.
Faith, though, in order to be effective, must be based on truth. And what’s needed now are political and religious leaders to call for healing, yes, but first to lead the effort to acknowledge the truth, confess the role they played in stoking the divisions, and only then work towards unity and healing.
Let’s continue to pray each day for God to heal our land as we continue to invite our family and friends to join us remotely for service by Skype: https://join.skype.com/P8TRBZjej8aU or by conference call: (339) 209-5068.
Sunday Morning Worship Service (11:30 am)
Monday through Saturday Noontime Prayer (12:00pm-1:00pm)
Anyone who chooses to make a contribution to the church may use the link on the church’s website, www.MeadowsBaptistChurch.org, to process a credit/debit card donation. Contributions may also be mailed to the church at PO Box 488, Upper Marlboro, MD 20773 or dropped off at the church office.
God bless and keep you and your family.
Dennis V. Jefferson, Pastor
Meadows Baptist Church
