October 1, 2026
Beloved of God,
On the first Sunday of this October, as we do every October, we celebrate World Communion Sunday. We do that by giving thanks for being part of a worldwide fellowship and for being a part of its worldwide mission of justice, compassion and witness.
In Isaiah 49:6 God told His chosen people that it is “too light a thing” for them to just take care of each other but they are to be “a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth”; and, in Matthew 28:19, the Son of God told His followers that they are to “go…and make disciples of all nations”.
In other words, the believers of every nation are to bring the light of Christ’s love and good news to the people of every nation.
This is sometimes called the “Great Commission”; but, alas, for many an American church, it ends up becoming the Great Omission from their to-do list.
In an article for the Center for Inquiry entitled “Keeping Your Beliefs to Yourself is Immoral”, Angel Eduardo, who proudly identifies as an atheist, takes his fellow atheists to task for not being evangelists for their atheism. For if they really believe that life is better free of the delusional nonsense of theism, and if they really care about people and state of the world, they are hypocrites should they not try to reach out to set folks straight according to their lights.
Recognizing that beliefs are the “engines of our actions” and “foundational to how we think and behave” and thus have significant, consequences, Eduardo refers to those Christian theists who share Jesus and His gospel with others as models that atheists who actually care about others should emulate. Because those Christian theists believe people are in danger of missing out on the best of life in this world and the next, Eduardo writes, “Their proselytizing is a moral act, even if we (atheists) consider it a nuisance. However misguided or wrong they might be, their actions are motivated by a desire to make our lives (and afterlives) better.”
To love others is to offer them what we love most and think they might love as well. Yes, we must make our offering sensitively and respectfully; but we can – and the word of God says we should. So let’s!
Warmly in Christ,
Rob & Adele
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