I spent the afternoon hearing stories from church leaders about the hard times and awesome moments of ministry. They had my attention and my heart. It was an amazing opportunity and reminded me of the two-sides nature of Christian community today – how both sin and grace are present in our congregations today.

Still dwelling in those stories tonight I saw a video on Facebook which lifted up three basic lessons for living. The three lessons are learning to say I was wrong, I’m sorry, and I love you. Living out these three commitments is counter-cultural in so many ways, but clearly are things we place central in our home since our girls were young. And I got thinking – what if our communities of faith, our congregations, held these three commitments as central to their life together? How would holding these life lessons as central change the hard times? How would it deepen the awesome moments?

Think with me for a bit. What would it mean for people of faith to be bold in saying to one another, “I was wrong.” In a culture where everyone is trying to save face, what if we acknowledged our human nature, our sinful selves, and owned up to our shortcomings. And what if that was followed up with two simple words – “I’m sorry.” I’m sorry I snapped at you when I was tired. I’m sorry for giving advice when you wanted me to just listen. I’m sorry for not asking your opinion. How would these two words change Christian communities? How would it change our personal relationships? And then with those two phrases still lingering in the air, what would sharing an authentic expression of love – an “I love you” spoken and acted out, do to cement the encounter?

So as we start a new month, a new season, at home and in our congregations, how
might we embed these life lessons into our daily living?

For those interested in seeing the video, here it is: http://www.derekwebb.com/WSL/sep_03