Succeeding Together
“And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? For when one says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely human? … No one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. ” – I Corinthians 3: 1-4, 11
It has been a difficult and divisive election season. From nasty party primaries to demonstrations in the streets over the difference between the popular and the electoral votes, this presidential election cycle has left a lot of people angry with the person next door or, more likely, in the next county. It is, perhaps, providential that the Diocese of Long Island has its annual gathering and business meeting, Convention, the same week as the election.
As we look specifically at racial reconciliation during Convention, we also have the chance to make an important public statement about what reconciliation means when Christians may not agree, when some may be celebrating hope and others are in uncertainty and despair. The differences in how we understand and live out our faith are important, and church polity must be discussed, prayed over, and voted on. However, it is vitally important that we remember during this time that, ultimately, we are all building on the One Foundation, Jesus Christ. We will build with the best materials we have available and some day it is Jesus himself who will decide whether we have built with “ gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, [or] straw“. (I Cor 3: 12)
We at Camp DeWolfe are in the business of creating Christian community out of diverse populations. Convention is doing exactly that, but on a much bigger and broader scale. However we might disagree, let us agree that we are building on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Let us, as Bishop Provenzano encourages, “live a Gospel life in the midst of God’s People where love and charity, compassion and understanding, and selflessness are all the hallmarks of our serving the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “
Praying for Christ’s Peace,
Nate Saccol
Program Director