I have been reading about the early church from after Acts to about year 300. It seems that one of the most important characteristics of the early church was patience. The willingness to bear the burdens of others calmly and compassionately.
This virtue was seen as a way of Jesus and being responsive to the movement of God with humanity since the beginning of recorded time. Being patient requires a willingness to understand the needs of the other and to almost organically respond in kind.
In order to be patient with others we must also be patient with ourselves. This certainly is a dimension of self-love which harkens back to the commandment “love the neighbor as you love yourself.” With that said, please do not be too harsh on yourself! Over the first three centuries the church grew nicely as a result, in part, of the practice of patience.
Patience requires a bit of a re-orientation coming out of a faster paced existence. We can joke about praying for patience but of course it is not a laughing matter. The substance of patience is The Peace/Shalom. With that said we can still laugh about the challenge of it all least we become as serious as a heart attack.
Coming out of and through a challenging political year it will be important that we practice the art of patience with ourselves and each other. I am grateful that we have a diverse community within St. John, in part because it allows us to practice patience with a greater level of intentionality than if we were all of the same mind.
In the end it is the mind of Christ that we must strive for, seeing all people as sacred. And sharing that love through compassion, mercy, justice, forgiveness and grace. Fueled by patience.
Peace,
Pastor Mark
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