In this week’s edition of our weekly Wednesday newsletter, Scott reflected on John Keble, who we remembered on the church calendar this week–and what his ministry can teach us in tumultuous times.
Dear friends in Christ,
Today the church remembers John Keble, an English priest who died in 1866. He lived in a time of foment, when the role of the church in society was under debate. Pitched battles were fought over the church and how worship was offered. Keble and others insisted that the church is a divine institution with a purpose beyond the earthly realm. Keble didn’t just launch the Oxford Movement within the church, but helped to reclaim the church from secular forces, insisting on the primacy of prayer and sacraments. High church, broad church, low church – all have benefitted from Keble’s ministry.
No time in history has ever been completely peaceful. In this present time, conflict and strife are more visible to more people, perhaps because of 24/7 news and social media. The good news in this is that oppression and suffering are manifest for all to see, so that all might work toward justice and peace. Of course, the difficulty is that we can be overwhelmed by all the challenges.
What are we Christians to do? Perhaps Keble offers a way ahead. We might do well to remember that the church, the Body of Christ, is divine in nature. This means, on the one hand, that the church must surely align itself with the suffering of all kinds. But it also means that the church is bigger and holier than our human frailties. We don’t have the rescue the church from anything. Rather, the church points us all toward Jesus, who rescues us and the whole world.
How does the church propel you into the world? How does the church draw you to Jesus?
Yours faithfully,
Scott Gunn
Executive Director
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