By Pastor Paul Hauschild
Chatfield and Root Prairie
Lutheran Churches
“When God measures a person, He puts the tape around the heart instead of the head,” someone once said. Very true! In Scripture we read something similar. “…they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7b).
I believe unity is a desire the Lord puts in our hearts. Disunity comes from the ego. On that first Easter long ago, Jesus rose from the dead to set us free from the bondage to this world and to reveal the promise of eternal life. His goal: to let humanity know the kingdom of God was so very near. Yet, instead of unity that first Holy Week, there was disunity and doubt between the Jewish leaders, the Roman leaders and the common people who had followed Jesus. Their fear and judgement of each other caused the death of God’s only Son. But God made it for good… for any who would believe!
This Easter season… well, every season, I wonder if we can put our egos aside… this learned behavior of rejecting each other with closed minds and hearts? It’s okay to disagree, but it doesn’t need to lead our world into hatred. Many don’t agree, but can we accept each other? I share this story about unity from years ago:
As he was returning home from the Capitol one evening, Senator John Stennis was robbed at gunpoint. Even though Stennis turned over what little of value he was carrying, the robbers shot him twice, hitting him in the stomach and leg. The surgeons at Walter Reed Medical Center labored for more than six hours to repair the damage and save his life.
Also, on his way home that evening was Senator Mark Hatfield, who had clashed often and sharply with Stennis. The two were at virtually opposite ends of the political spectrum. However, when Hatfield heard on his car radio what had happened, he immediately drove to the hospital. There he quickly discerned that the switchboard staff was overwhelmed with the many incoming calls from Stennis’ fellow senators, reporters, and friends. He said to an operator, “I know how to work one of these; let me help you out.” He helped answer phones until daylight when the calls subsided. Then, without fanfare, he quietly introduced himself as he was leaving, “My name is Hatfield… happy to help out on behalf of a man I deeply respect.”
In this and every season let us have new life… forgiveness… grace… acceptance… unity!
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