LORD, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory dwells. – Psalm 26:8

Today's Scripture Reading (June 28, 2022): Psalm 26 & 27

At a recent denominational meeting, an older man stood with a confession for those who would listen. He had been coming to this denominational assembly for decades, but this time it was different. Every other time, he had come and celebrated God with the people who treasured God's name. But this year, it was different. Something had changed. There was a dispute among the churches. Therefore, one of the proposals the assembly was asked to consider was the removal of a few churches, including the church to which this man belonged. As a result, this assembly veteran felt that the place to which he had loved to come in years past was no longer a safe space. It was no longer a place where this man wanted to spend some time.

As I listened, I emotionally understood the words that the man spoke. Emotionally, I was in pain because I knew that my friends were in pain. But what seemed to the worst part of the situation was that even though we were meeting in a conference center, we were meeting as the church, the Body of Christ. This place should have been a safe space, but it wasn't. It didn't feel like a safe space to me either.

What hurts even more was that I know that those who existed on the other side of the argument strongly believed that they were following the dictates of this Psalm. David writes;

I do not sit with the deceitful,
    nor do I associate with hypocrites.
I abhor the assembly of evildoers
    and refuse to sit with the wicked (Psalm 26:4-5).

Some had decided that this man's church was in sin, and by extension, so was I, and they didn't want to sit in assembly with us. And I get it; really, I do. But at the same time, we were all followers of Jesus Christ, believers in the power of God. We had come to sit in his house with his people. We were brothers and sisters in Christ, and family shouldn't lobby to exclude its own. I might be the crazy uncle of the group, but I am still Uncle Garry.

As Christians, I really believe that we should be able to get beyond our disagreements and make sure that our gatherings are safe and encouraging experiences. We should love coming together, knowing that God is in our midst. We should major in the idea that we worship the God who created this universe, the Son who died for our sins, and the Spirit who embodies our unity. And nothing else really matters. To this elderly gentleman, I give my tears. To my opponents in the denomination, I give my love. I yearn to say with David that I love to come into the fellowship where he lives. And nothing else should matter. I long for the day when we can learn to disagree in the midst of the Spirit of God and then be able to hug and celebrate at the table by breaking the bread and sharing the wine, praising the God of this life and our fellowship, and enjoying the place where God's glory dwells.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 28 & 29