“Where the Gospel is rightly preached and embodied, the mission imparted to the church is necessarily one of reconciliation and peace. Because it is God’s enemies who are the objects of God’s love... love of our enemies can never be marginal... the solidarity of all human beings in sin is overmastered by our solidarity in grace.” 
                                                                   George Hunsinger
     The statement above does not reflect the public face of Christianity in our times. Division and its accompanying polemic have become the order of the day under the banner of the now combative and derogatory word “religion.”
     But nothing could be further from the true hope and desire of the church. We do not espouse doctrines so that we can pummel others; instead, we dare to imagine a love strong enough to overwhelm even the distinctions that most deeply alienate us one from another.
     We gather to practice and become increasingly skilled in that divine love that passes all understanding—the love that admits no limits. This isn’t organized religion; it’s faith: expressed in the mystery of communal worship, the integrity of mission, and the joy of fellowship.It’s a faith that’s turned toward gratitude, appreciation, and the freedom we have been given by God to be redemptive people—reflecting the fullness of life that God established—and then most explicitly achieved for us in Christ.
     Solidarity in grace is the commitment and goal of the Church of the Redeemer.
     Regardless of your religious affiliation, if any, your presence with us will make God’s grace all the more vivid and substantial. We would be enriched by your presence.        The Rev. Peter T. Vanderveen, Rector