Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ
is the light of the world: Grant that your people,
illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine
with the radiance of Christ's glory, that he may be known,
worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth.
"…Denominations may be justified in their existence for this 'time being' only or that, but not forever. We are commissioned by the Spirit of God 'for the time being' to carry out an extraordinary mission of witness and service, for just so long as our life apart is effective in the economy of God's providence. We are, or ought to be, prepared to risk our life as a separate church and to face death as a denomination in the sure and lively hope of our resurrection in the true community of the whole people of God…The price of true catholicity may very well be the death and resurrection of the churches that we know--in the faith that God has greater things in store for his people than we can remember or even imagine."
- Dr. Albert Outler (1908-1989), United Methodist theologian & philosopher
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