Grace and Peace

"The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some shepherds and teachers..." (Ephesians 4:11). From the earliest days of the Christian church, itinerant preachers -- some entrusted with the ministry of oversight -- traveled from one congregation to another, visiting the faithful in diverse places, speaking the truth in love. These representatives of the wider church visited in order to promote unity, bring about reconciliation, equip the saints for ministry, combat that which is not worthy of disciples, and nurture mature faith and behavior -- in short, to build up the whole body of Christ in love. Randi Walker, Professor of Church History at Pacific School of Religion, writes that she has found "no more powerful thing church leaders can do to strengthen the churches than to visit them with love." These "visitations of love," she observes, need to be "honest, open, caring but challenging, a reminder of things that it is in our nature to forget." Modern itinerants carrying out this ancient calling bear titles like Bishop, Superintendent, Presbytery Executive, or Regional Minister. "Grace and Peace" is a sampling of 25 sermons from the final years of one such church leader, drawn from his Sunday morning visits to bring, in Walker's words, "the disturbing intrusiveness of love into business as usual in the church."