1 John 5:18-21

1 John 5:18-21 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  You've likely heard by now about the death of Rachel Held Evans.  She was, I believe, an important voice in Christianity, one who sought to hold evangelicalism accountable.  There are a number of really excellent pieces out there that discuss her impact on the larger church community.  She was incredibly honest, and I always interpreted her agenda as being focused on how to ensure that there was room in church for everyone, no matter what.  While I didn't always agree with how she approached an issue or a topic, she always made me think, and made think about why I thought about something the way I did.  That's challenging and refreshing, and to have someone as a part of the larger church who makes people think while striving to be more inclusive is, I believe, a wonderful thing.  Dialogue around the hardest issues in the church is crucially important, even and especially when we disagree.  We can still be Christ's church and not agree on everything.
  Another death, one that received a lot fewer mentions on social media, is that of Warren Wiersbe.  Aged 89, his death was far less shocking, but from my seat, as important a voice in the church.  I relied heavily on his commentaries when I was teaching Bible studies, and they were wonderfully accessible.  The way he wrote made it easier to understand what the Bible had to say.  His style invited others into a conversation with the Bible.

  The impact of these two individuals to me is that they both sought to make the church more accessible.  They tried to help outsiders find a way to Scripture, to meet the Christ who comes to save and deliver us into life.  They used their gifts to invite others closer to God.

  So may the true God and eternal life be real to you through the person of Jesus Christ.  And may you and I find a way for our lives to invite others to draw closer and meet God on God's terms, which are always more gracious and free than what we can ask or imagine.  I don't know how you might do that, and I'm still trying to figure out how I can -- maybe you can't write commentaries like Warren Wiersbe or tweet like Rachel Held Evans, but there is some unique gift you have, be it loving children as they are or listening to lonely neighbors or baking cakes for the hungry or praying for the lost or something else -- there's a way for us to all invite others to the table, to make it clear to the outside world that God loves us as we are, and that the Good Shepherd comes to us to give us understanding, that we may know him who is True.