Exercise Social Responsibility
After several weeks of staying at home, several parts of the country are cautiously beginning to open up and allow a controlled re-entry back into the "old normal" that we all cherish and are missing. Businesses, recreational gatherings, and churches are trying to find a way to get back to this needed normality and productivity . People have been unemployed, socially isolated, and unable to join in their familiar communities of work, play and worship for too long. This pent up frustration has resulted in some push back and protests that have made enough waves to make the evening news.
We Americans cherish our freedoms and do not like the constraints placed upon us by the COVID-19 Pandemic. We are a restless folk that claim our constitutional rights and privileges! When someone tries to tell us otherwise, it is second nature to begin flexing our independent muscles. The health community is reservedly saying that we should not move too quickly so that it overloads our medical response to the ravages of this virus, particularly upon the more vulnerable segments of our population. But, it is not healthy to our economic, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being to continue this approach too much longer.
The definition of "Social Responsibility" includes the idea of our obligation to act for the benefit of society at large. Exercising this obligation is not just a fringe political agenda for more progressive thinking individuals. Generous and charitable giving, conscious regard for the environment, a commitment to social justice, and wanting to reduce our carbon footprint should be the responsibility of every American citizen.
Being a socially responsible believer in the Lord Jesus Christ represents the systemic core of the gospel's emphasis on community. The phrase, "one another" occurs over 100 times in the New Testament and approximately 59 of these occurrences represent a direct command for how (or for how not!) we are to behave in relationship to each other. Mutuality is a hallmark value statement for Christianity. God did not design us to be "lone ranger" followers of the Good Shepherd. We are brothers and sisters in a family that Christ is the head. "We-ness" is a necessary component to the body of Christ.
Paul spoke about how the connectedness of believers is our strength. He used the analogy of a human body to exemplify how we function along the lines of our unique giftedness, our divine design. The Apostle said, "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body" (1 Corinthians 12:12, NIV). Some of us are like eyes seeing the worth of every person and their needs. While others are like hands that perform compassionate and practical acts of kindness. And still others become the legs and feet that keep us moving toward each other. Not pulling away from our center in Christ! Paul advises, "God has combined the members of the body... so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other" (12:24b-25).
Over these past weeks, we have been encouraged when hearing phrases like, "We will get through this together." As we begin to open up, let's not forget the "together" part of this comforting affirmation!
Mike Keppler, retired pastor,
active churchman and
doting grandparent.
Contact: drmjkeppler@gmail.com
Check out this previous blog article on community...
http://www.mjkministries.com/2019/10/one-ball-and-four-bases.html
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| Image compliments of Jon Tyson www.splash.com |
We Americans cherish our freedoms and do not like the constraints placed upon us by the COVID-19 Pandemic. We are a restless folk that claim our constitutional rights and privileges! When someone tries to tell us otherwise, it is second nature to begin flexing our independent muscles. The health community is reservedly saying that we should not move too quickly so that it overloads our medical response to the ravages of this virus, particularly upon the more vulnerable segments of our population. But, it is not healthy to our economic, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being to continue this approach too much longer.
The definition of "Social Responsibility" includes the idea of our obligation to act for the benefit of society at large. Exercising this obligation is not just a fringe political agenda for more progressive thinking individuals. Generous and charitable giving, conscious regard for the environment, a commitment to social justice, and wanting to reduce our carbon footprint should be the responsibility of every American citizen.
Being a socially responsible believer in the Lord Jesus Christ represents the systemic core of the gospel's emphasis on community. The phrase, "one another" occurs over 100 times in the New Testament and approximately 59 of these occurrences represent a direct command for how (or for how not!) we are to behave in relationship to each other. Mutuality is a hallmark value statement for Christianity. God did not design us to be "lone ranger" followers of the Good Shepherd. We are brothers and sisters in a family that Christ is the head. "We-ness" is a necessary component to the body of Christ.
Paul spoke about how the connectedness of believers is our strength. He used the analogy of a human body to exemplify how we function along the lines of our unique giftedness, our divine design. The Apostle said, "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body" (1 Corinthians 12:12, NIV). Some of us are like eyes seeing the worth of every person and their needs. While others are like hands that perform compassionate and practical acts of kindness. And still others become the legs and feet that keep us moving toward each other. Not pulling away from our center in Christ! Paul advises, "God has combined the members of the body... so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other" (12:24b-25).
Over these past weeks, we have been encouraged when hearing phrases like, "We will get through this together." As we begin to open up, let's not forget the "together" part of this comforting affirmation!
Mike Keppler, retired pastor,
active churchman and
doting grandparent.
Contact: drmjkeppler@gmail.com
Check out this previous blog article on community...
http://www.mjkministries.com/2019/10/one-ball-and-four-bases.html
We are family and community and we all need each other in all ways. Thank you Mike. Love you all.
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