Hello friends,
“In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.”
We sometimes make faith very complicated. This follows from the fact that we are human beings and being human can be very complicated!
The simple phrase above reminds us to find unity where we can, to exercise individual conscience where we need to, and to lead with love always.
In the scripture reading this week (1 Samuel 16:1–13), God takes a situation that could have been very simple and makes it unnecessarily complicated!
Instead of simply asking the prophet Samuel to bless a young shepherd named David, God sends Samuel on a dangerous mission to identify and anoint a successor to King Saul.
Sometimes enduring a long process is more important than simply arriving at a destination — messy discernment is needed here.
But not always. That’s why a community of faith is so important. Together we can identify the best course forward in faith, drawing on all of our experience and wisdom — seeking unity, liberty, and charity.
Traveling together,
Sam