Letters
June 25, 2005
 

Dear Editor:

This letter is in response to the article “A world of woes” from the Presbyterian News Service, dated June 23,2005.

The article reports on comments made by Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase to the Presbyterian Peacemaking Conference at Ghost Ranch which bemoan the lack of action by the western world in curing the pressing problems of much of the rest of the world. Since the article was just a brief summary of the Moderator’s remarks some of my questions might be cleared up by a full transcript. However, from the article I cannot understand concretely what the Moderator specifically wants the church to do in order to “be Church”.

I think that the Church “does Church” when it leads people to saving faith in Jesus Christ and leads the faithful into ever deeper discipleship with its attendant obedience to the teachings of our Savior. The Church, leading the people to lives ever more in tune with the lives God intended for all of us to live would, through God’s will and grace, address and largely solve all of the problems identified by Mr. Ufford-Chase.

All of the problems identified cited by the Moderator can be traced to the nature of this fallen world, estranged from God and disobedience to God’s word. The cure is salvation in Jesus Christ and striving intentional discipleship. Without the power of God and the saving grace of our Lord all of our human plans and schemes, no matter how well intended, will come to naught. With God all things are possible. Apart from God nothing is really possible. So, I heartily encourage the Church to “be Church” by praying ceaselessly, spreading the good news of our Lord and Savior to every corner of the earth and encouraging and teaching the faithful to become ever more obedient disciples, servants and students of the Lord.

Power and blessings of God will flow this work. Nothing will flow without it. God’s will can be accomplished through the obedient Church and the evils of which the Moderator spoke vanquished. Greed would die. All would be servants of all. Everyone would be the neighbor of everyone else. All would love God with all their hearts and minds and their neighbors as themselves. The world envisioned by Isaiah 11:6 would come to pass. However, this can happen on this earth only through the acts of a mighty and loving God through His chosen people acting in complete obedience with the will of God. Human will not aligned with God’s will can do nothing and in fact is the reason for all of the problems Mr. Ufford-Chase cites. Alas, I do not believe complete rectification of these evils will come to pass until our Lord and Savior returns to rule as he promised he would. The Bible seems quite clear on this. However, I also believe that the Church, as the ever growing Body of Christ made up of mature disciples, can through prayer and discipline as willing instruments of God’s will carry out much of what our Moderator suggests. The Church is “doing Church” when it concentrates on its fundamental purpose the calling, training and admonition of the saints. Leave the rest in God’s hands. God will use his children to accomplish his good purposes.