The conclusion of the day was a service at St. Andrew's Catholic Church. A joint venture, we gathered to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Clemson's integration. The speaker was Clemson's chief diversity officer, Dr. Leon Wiles. Organized by the Franciscan Brothers, others had pronounced roles in the gathering. We rang the bells of the Christian tradition; we heard the ram's horn which calls Jewish community to worship; and the Imam chanted the Islamic Call to Prayer.
Today will be a bit more in-house for me. The meetings I attend are for LCM and UniLu. This is our busy day on the student calendar with a shared lunch, handbells and choir, then evening Bible Study. Today I return to the flock which shares my own denominational tag and I will attempt to shepherd them toward the green pastures. Those who are keeping track of my activity and wondering whether I am earning my pay will be pleased when this day is done.
But the life of a follower of Jesus needs to be a constant balance between these two types of activities. We need to be together, we need one another in order to firm up our spiritual quest and to prepare us for the work we are asked to do. There must be days in our lives when we are together, in our house, with our thoughts and affirmations. Such days are necessary, so that we might move forward into the world, just as Jesus moved into the world. Days spent on our home turf prepare us for an engagement with the larger world around us. Jesus called the disciples together so that he might send them out in to the surrounding villages.
When we gather, let's speak to one another about our shared convictions and beliefs. Let's teach and admonish one another to follow the traditions of those who have gone before. But let all of this be a rehearsal for our work in the world. What we learn about Jesus, in the protected community which bears his name, needs to be lived in the world which is hungering for his presence.
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