Message from Rev. John G. Smith
Dear Friends,
Grace Church in Thornbury is a great place to be and I am loving the warmth and spirit of this community.
At church these last few weeks I have been asking: what IS the purpose of the church? It seems that in these fragile times, with so much angst and despair in the world, that we might need a refresher on who we are and what we are about.
Here’s my answer:
We are the body of Christ in the world. As such, we embody the spirit of a loving God as known through Jesus. We follow the commandment “Love God and Love Neighbour”, because quite simply, that’s all there is to it.
We carry within us the Light of Christ. We try to keep our own pilot lights going, so that we can hold others when their’s have gone dim. We find that when we gather together in community, our lights are brighter.
We speak up to injustice, because that is what Jesus would do. We seek healing instead of conflict. We work for peace, which for us is about walking together with our friends and our enemies, all religions (including those with none) arm in arm companioning each other.
We exist to bring the energies of love and compassion, joy and kindness to bear in a world that devalues all of these gifts. We value them, treasure them, cultivate them.
We will change the world. We won’t stop loving the world because He has never stopped loving the world.
Cheers!
Rev John