Sometimes seeing ourselves through someone else's eyes is a powerful reminder not of who we are, but of who we really want to be. Later the next morning, an interview of one of the Congolese Choir members ran on WBIR, and he talked about us being the frozen chosen no more - that we need to open our hearts to each other and to the rest of the world. That night we opened our hearts up to neighbors of both Oak Ridge and other Presbyterian churches. We met friends from another nation. We raised money to address severe poverty and violence in a part of the world we do not know. We were who we are supposed to be - members not of First Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge, but truly members of the Body of Christ universal.

It's tough to remember that calling in a world that wants to compartmentalize so much of who we are: white or black, rich or poor, Presbyterian or Episcopalian. We also get competitive - hoping to stand out among our other Presbyterian brothers and sisters when someone's looking for a church home, grateful that our name got splashed all over the morning news, counting bodies and money and looking for a sign of prestige - being the only stop in Tennessee or edging out other religious news for a change. We don't just want to have an evening of music and mission, we want it to be good marketing strategy as well. It's tough to get out of that mind-set of competing with our other church neighbors - hoping to make a good impression. It's consumerism at its worst - the selling out of the church so that we can look good in our numbers.

The Congolese were aiming at something else altogether in asking us to be a good example, in encouraging us to open our hearts. Their churches are busting at the seams and to them worship is a joyous event. They cannot contain their praise of God in an hour long service or keep their emotions in check as they reach out for the holy. They sang not only to our church, or the Presbyterian Church, but to all Christians of America that a great crowd is surrounding us and we have the unique opportunity to show the world a taste of God's love.

Are we doing that? Are we allowing God's light to shine through us?

It's a tough thing to turn the mirror back on ourselves. We end up with the question of the Psalmist on our lips, "If you should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?" We know that the little bit of love we have isn't enough. We know that we are tempted to flaunt the stats of our membership instead of demonstrating our faith. We see the sinfulness of pride even in our most spirit-led events. Thank God for the hope that comes with knowing that God forgives. Thank God for God's steadfast love, for the ongoing power to redeem us and let our iniquities be forgotten.

But lest we be stuck where we are, we need to remember the admonitions of Paul to the church at Ephesus, which, sad to say, was struggling with some of the same difficulties we share today. Paul talked to them about their falsehood, their anger, and their hateful words that seemed to come straight from the devil through their lips. He cautioned them against all sorts of evil talk, and asked them not to grieve the Holy Spirit with their actions - to remember that they had already been marked for redemption. He says, "Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and," Do what? "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Funny that it takes a third-world church to remind the first-world church of its passion and love for God. In a nation that is drowning in despair, desperate in starvation and violence, they tell us to love. They tell us to be a beacon of light. They tell us to be kind, tenderhearted, and to imagine this fragrant offering as a miraculous gift.

This gives me hope for the church, even for the contentious denominational politics of the Presbyterian Church, USA. It tells me that our wrangling and slander show signs of weakness, yes, but are not reason to despair. This gives me hope for First Presbyterian Church, Oak Ridge to see itself in the bigger picture, to allow us to be a light on a hill even as other churches might grow faster or have more money or are more equipped to pull off having an international concert than we are.

The only thing that matters is whether or not we follow the message left to us by the Messiah - love one another. At the end of the day, that's God's hope for us. God redeems us from our flaws, even the ones that threaten to separate us. This should be good news for us, but it's a good news that can be difficult to describe and even harder to follow. How can we, the Church, the Christian Church (capital C) be a beacon of light and hope in America or for the rest of the world? How do we stand with or beside those who are different from us and proclaim together a God of love? I found this challenge by the choir to be both immense and prophetic.

Paul describes Christ's love for us as a fragrant sacrifice. I think the members of the Congo choir reawakened my senses to this gift. For them God's love was more powerful than grief as it sustained them through road-weariness, loss of loved ones, and the unfortunate events that have happened to them along the way like having their bus be hit by a drunk driver and having their drum get stolen. Once they began to sing, you could easily forget all that they'd been through. Our lives should be so complete.

So whether or not you were able to come to the concert, I hope you'll remember their message to us. Set a good example - be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you. In this way, our light will shine, not because we made the morning news, but because the eyes watching us will recognize the power of hope as we show the love we share in Jesus Christ.

Amen.