ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 27, 2026
In John 15:8, Jesus says, “My Father is glorified when you produce much fruit and in this way prove that you are my disciples.” God the Father is glorified by the fruit our lives produce. This means, among other things, that God is revealed through us. We know God by what God does, and our belief about what God does has a great deal of impact on what we think our lives should produce. If we perceive God as One to be feared because we imagine God to be judgmental and lacking in mercy, then how are we going to glorify what we imagine God to be? But as followers of Jesus, and believing that the life of Jesus is the best reflection of God in this world, then glorifying God with the attributes of Jesus might be the best place to start. In a world where Christian Nationalism is becoming more and more an acceptable expression of Christianity, there is a real need to present Jesus to the world. Christian Nationalism should just be Ian Nationalism (sorry to all the Ians in this world) as the one thing Christian Nationalists have chosen to leave behind is Christ, and the god they glorify is nothing more than a reflection of their own insecurities, selfishness, and hate. Let’s stick with Jesus, and allow our lives of love, kindness, mercy, justice, peace, and generosity glorify God, and allow others to glimpse a revelation of God in and through us.
Help us, O Spirit of Grace, as we seek to glorify the One whom we have met in Jesus. Amen.
