A Note from Pastor Bruce - October 29, 2026
Dear Church Family:
In a recent sermon, I referred to a book, The Patient Ferment of the Early Church, in which Christian historian Alan Kreider documents the remarkable way that the post-New Testament church arose over 300 years from a poor despised Jewish minority in pagan Rome to become the official religion of that great empire. The process of bringing about this amazing achievement was not what we would imagine. There were no evangelistic campaigns, organized outreach efforts, political lobbying, clever communication techniques, or “seeker friendly” services to attract outsiders. Rather, the focus of their efforts was on letting the good news about what God has done for all humanity through his Son Jesus change them inside and out. They devoted themselves to learning and trusting the ways of God, and to cooperating with the Holy Spirit’s patient, persistent, and powerful transformation of them into the image of Christ. They knew that God was working slowly and surely to recondition them out of their habituated lives as pagan Romans, re-habituating them with new desires and habits into a brand-new life in Christ. They believed that the best way they could share the good news about Jesus was by simply by displaying the changes he brings in how they lived and behaved at work, in the marketplace, and in how they loved their neighbors and enemies. They discovered that, in a world of false promises and disappointments, violence and suffering, some of those neighbors found their lives of goodness, joy, and hope to be wondrously attractive. When confronted with an unimagined and undeniable alternative to their own lives, some of their neighbors also chose to leave behind their old life to embrace the new and transforming life offered to us all in Jesus Christ. With God-like patience and trust, the early Christians proved the power of the Holy Spirit’s fermenting grace to make them and all things new. The world would never be the same.
From the beginning, our Christian ancestors were devoted to the new life that God revealed in Jesus and offers to all people. The changes this brought to them were total. As they brought every aspect of life under the loving Lordship of Jesus Christ, they knew well that, while some found their lives attractive, others despised them and saw them as a threat to the religious, cultural, and political status quo. The rise of the early church came to pass despite waves of persecutions, and many martyr’s deaths. Nevertheless, they remained committed to living as witnesses to God’s saving alternative to the world’s brokenness and deadly rebellion.
One of the continuing hallmarks of the early Christians was their uniform commitment to life. In every way, they sought to live out the gospel of life, having been taught that the true God of the world is the God of life who they now know through Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord of life. And what they believed they lived out in their daily existence. When their Roman neighbors abandoned unwanted children, the Christians rescued them and raised them as their own. They cherished the lives and wisdom of the elderly. They rejected the promiscuous sexual practices rampant in their societies. They refused to kill, even when attacked. They wrestled with the morality of serving in the military, for they would not kill their enemies even on the battlefield. They refused to attend the gladiatorial contests that were Roman sport. When condemned to die in the Roman colosseum, they prayed for their captors and for strength to endure the violent suffering. And, yes, in an era when abortion was commonplace, they received every child as God’s good gift of life entrusted to them.
Many have observed that we are now living in a repaganized world. Christians are called once again to hear and heed God’s call to new life in Christ that remakes us from the inside out, and to consider what a faithful witness to the gospel of life looks like in our time. For, like the early church, our mission is still to present a gracious and truthful alternative to our neighbors and strangers who are weary of the world’s false promises and suffering in brokenness. As we live out the ramifications of our faith daily and publicly, the Holy Spirit is still attracting many to God’s kingdom through the witness of ordinary believers.
As I write, many of us have or soon will vote in mid-term elections. We enter the voting booth as citizens of the United States and the commonwealth of Virginia. As Christians, we also know that we exercise this constitutional right and privilege mindful that our first and supreme loyalty is to Jesus Christ and his kingdom of life and love. Our vote is not just a personal or partisan preference, or the fruit of human wisdom and experience. It is a public expression or our deepest convictions as citizens of God’s kingdom who are committed in every way to the gospel of life.
Included in our voting decisions this year are proposed amendments to the Virginia constitution that should cause Christians to think and pray carefully about what the gospel of life requires of us as citizens of Christ’s kingdom. We all know that Christians in our time disagree on what have become the contentious issues of abortion and marriage. But could it be that this is also a time to remember the witness of the early church, and to think carefully about the ramifications of codifying abortion and same-sex (or other) marriage as constitutional rights? If these (already) present rights are enhanced to become constitutional law, will there be any place remaining for a public witness for the sanctity of all life and the gift of God-ordained marriage in the future? And, if the amendments fail, will anyone be deprived of their existing rights?
Yes, these issues are complex and warrant sustained discussion, much more than can be addressed in a short article. Personally, I have spent many years wrestling with the revelation of God’s Word, the uncommon witness of the Church, the experiences of a broken world, and the requirements of the gospel of love and life. Along the way, I changed my mind. For now, I challenge you to prayerfully consider: what does the gospel of life require of you as you exercise your public witness as a citizen of God’s kingdom? To do so will be to think and act in the long and faithful tradition our spiritual ancestors from the beginning.
May the Lord of life give us grace and understanding, to live out the gospel of life we proclaim, in truth and mercy. And may many be drawn to Christ through our faithful witness.
Pastor Bruce
From the October 29, 2026 edition of This Week at Pender newsletter
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