Six Thirty Saturday Nite (A New Nation) – November 12, 2016

Welcome to Six Thirty Saturday Nite. Tonight, we are going to look at the story of Jacob, who would overcome his own troubled past to become the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. But before we get to that, I want to take a moment to address the pain and fear I have seen on social media this week.

Twelve years ago, I had the opportunity to represent my country as a student ambassador to Europe. As I walked the old battlefields and toured the empty cathedrals, I realized two things: First, my generation has no idea what true tyranny and injustice looks like, and second, deep-rooted social scars will not heal as long as the churches remain empty.

It was on that trip when I felt God calling me into ministry. On the eve of Bastille Day, I stood overlooking the beaches of Normandy feeling overwhelmed by the sacrifice so many brave men and women made for the freedom of people they would never meet. They lived and died for a cause bigger than themselves. That night, somewhere over the English Channel, I committed my life to serving the biggest cause I could think of: the kingdom of God.

The idea of living in a kingdom is something foreign to most Americans. There are times when we need something bigger to unite of than Republican or Democrat, white or black, gay or straight, Catholic or Protestant, or even American citizen or immigrant – this is one of those times.

As Christians, we are citizens of heaven. We are here to be His witnesses and His ambassadors. You see, it is the crown of Christ and only the crown of Christ that can truly unite us as one people. Until we learn to see each other the way our Heavenly Father sees us, there will be hatred, anger, bitterness and fear. Until we learn to love one another as brothers and sisters, the wounds that divide us will never heal.

Change does not begin with who is in the White House or in the halls of Congress; it must begin in our hearts. If you are watching this, and you are feeling wounded and alone this week, I invite you to come home. Find a local church where you feel loved by God and by the people in the congregation. The longer we isolate ourselves within our own like-minded tribes, the more broken and divided we will become.

It is only together can we heal the pain we all feel in our souls. Only together can we begin to build a stronger country and a safer world. Let us commit to pray, grow and serve together wherever we are. Only we have the power to change the world around us, and that power comes from above. Seek the will of the Father. Try to be more like the Son. And be filled with the Holy Spirit so you can be all that you were created to be. May the crown of Christ unite us all.

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