John 6:37
Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and
the one who comes to me I will never send away.
I stand before you today to share a message of hope, love,
and acceptance. It is a message that is deeply embedded in our faith, yet often
overshadowed by our fears. Today, we shall delve deeply into the fear of
rejection by God or the faith community. We will confront the shadows of public
shame, ostracization, guilt-tripping, and demonisation that may loom large for
any perceived infraction.
In the eyes of God, we are all His children, born of His
spirit and love. In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul reassures us, "For
I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither
the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor
anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).
There may be times when we stumble and falter, when we miss
the mark. It is in these moments that the fear of rejection may grip our
hearts. But let not this fear take root within you. Remember always that our
God is a forgiving God, a loving God. He does not seek to shame us, but to help
us grow through our mistakes. It is written in the book of Psalms, "For
His anger is but for a moment, His favour is for life; weeping may endure for a
night, but joy comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5).
It is true that in our journey of faith, we may face
judgment from our fellow believers. This can be a painful experience, one that
may lead to feelings of ostracization or demonisation. But let us remember the
words of Jesus in the book of John, "Let any one of you who is without
sin be the first to throw a stone..." (John 8:7). We are all imperfect
beings in God's perfect creation, striving each day to walk in His path.
As a faith community, let us resolve to replace judgment
with compassion, to replace guilt-tripping with understanding, and to replace
shaming with love. We are called to "encourage one another and build
each other up" (1 Thessalonians 5:11), not to tear each other down.
My beloved brothers and sisters, never forget that the foundation of our faith is love. God's love for us is constant and unwavering. No mistake, no sin, no failure can ever diminish His love for us. And it is this love that we should mirror in our interactions with each other. Instead of fear, let there be trust. Instead of rejection, let there be acceptance. Instead of guilt-tripping, let there be forgiveness. And instead of shaming, let there be love.