A Greeting Taken from Paul

Brothers and Sisters who are loved by God,

Many people will read this greeting and assume these messages aren't for them. Let me make this clear if you are one of these: I am talking to you too. If you doubt that messages of encouragement and love are meant for you, you may be the one I need to talk to the most.

Now "Brothers and Sisters" does speak of a family in faith.  With family, there is a common language. A deeper relationship naturally exists because we share many of the same values and beliefs. We are bonded by a relationship with our Father, His Son Jesus and the acceptance of the Holy Spirit.  I use familial greetings because we ARE family:  We take care of each other, serve and love one another, grow in our faith together and raise our families together. We are family.

One thing I would caution you to, however, is misunderstanding that INcluding my familial endearments for some is being used as an EXclusion of others. I ABSOLUTELY have people in my life that I call beloved even though we don’t currently share the same faith language or always agree (believe me, this can happen within church family too!).  Certainly, there may be ideals, traditions, points of view or choices that I don't subscribe to, and vice versa, but the PERSON is LOVED, and it is mutual.  In these relationships, we have taken care to connect on common ground so preserving the relationship is the POINT of us. Believe me, the street runs both ways.  My true friends, especially the ones who knew me in my pre-Christian days, didn't let go of me either.  Love is bigger than what would divide. If only the media would get that.

This greeting is also inclusive because ALL are loved by God. Yes, even when we don't love Him and yes, even when we don't know Him.  In my own life, I have denied my cultural, biological and faith heritage...but it never lessened the truth of me.  It was just my own delay in acknowledging who I was and who I belonged to. 

Almost a decade before I would finally find my way back to God, I was going through a personal crisis and was directed to a priest who was a friend of someone I trusted.  As I shared my fear, Father Roy said with such compassion, "You know, you are talking as if you can step in and out of God but it's impossible when everything is OF God."  Beloved, we can count on God being God NO MATTER what we do. And so He loves us through it. 

I pray that my greeting offers an invitation.  You can explore what it means to have a relationship with God, wherever it is you need to start. Come with your burdens, hurts, your doubt, anger and your past.  Brothers and Sisters, YOU are already loved by God.