By Humberto Tinsman, Emerging-generations specialist

I look at the world and see how people treat one another, and my heart breaks. I sing the hymns of peace, love, and church, and my heart knows I do not believe them right now. I listen to “I have a dream,” and I think, would you still have that dream today? I pause and ask myself, is this as good as we can do? I see dialogue, but I know it’s often just more anger in the world.

However, I still have hope because:

• I believe in the teachings of Jesus that dare to proclaim a light on a hill for all to see, not to lift up what I have done or the education I have, but to show that words of hate and fear will not crush my spirit.
• I believe in the teachings of Jesus that proclaim children as God’s most sacred creation—not kings or emperors, but children who dare to laugh and play, while we only look at the world in despair.
• I believe in the teachings of Jesus that tell us we are not called to hate and curse “sinners,” but to love them, hold them, cry with them, and dare to dream of a world closer together.

Our goal is to love. To love so much and so deeply that others will see and question where this love comes from, and we will say it comes from the One who loves us all.

I still have hope in Community of Christ, a church that at times can feel divided yet dares to dream together of a better world where All Are Called and where a diverse world is not seen as a problem, but as God’s glorious creation.

I still have hope that we can make a difference, that our story is not one of a distant past, but one that we still are writing together.

I still have hope. Though it might seem like only dark days are ahead, I know that the sun will rise, and the light of love and peace is worth living for. I know that our combined light of hope will spread and inspire others to lay down their swords and see each other as God sees us.

Do not lose hope, my friends. Our goal should not—and cannot—be to fight. Our goal is to love. To love so much and so deeply that others will see and question where this love comes from, and we will say it comes from the One who loves us all.

Know, dear friend, that you do not travel alone. You are Community of Christ, a name given as a divine blessing, a name that gives me hope.

Amen.