He who has ears to hear, let him hear (Matt 13:9).
Recently I attended a storytelling event where Bono, lead singer for U2, called America “the greatest song the world has never heard.” What he meant is that America might not yet exist in full; it’s an idea that has not yet reached fruition.
It’s a striking thought—and who am I to correct Bono?—but it seems to me it’s better applied to the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is a vision of love and justice, truth and grace, that’s not yet fully realized. It’s something we yearn for, strive toward. It’s like a song at the edge of our hearing. It haunts us, stirs our souls, and invites us to search for more of it.
Listening is fundamental to following the Holy Spirit. But in a world filled with voices shouting at one another, with voices clamoring for our attention, listening can be incredibly difficult.
How do we learn to listen better to the Spirit of Jesus and to one another, especially those who are different from us?
Christianity Today models listening to the voices of the least of these
and listening above all to the voice of God.
And amid the craziness, our partners help us offer sanity. Amid the confusion, you help us offer clarity. Amid the rancor, you help us be charitable.
Together, we model listening because the kingdom of God is big enough for voices that don’t sound like ours. It’s big enough for authentic conversations about difficult topics. It’s big enough for us to love people we disagree with.
In other words, we offer the world something profoundly countercultural. A place where the angry voices fall away, where we can listen together, and where we can hear the song of the kingdom–the greatest song the world has never heard.
CT currently reaches 4.5 million people a month. Today, you can help us turn down the volume on the world, and turn up the volume on the kingdom of God. You can help us equip and encourage more men and women to listen to the Spirit, and to one another.
Next week is an important week for our ministry–our annual Week of Giving–from October 2-6, honoring the first CT issue in October 1956.
I am asking you to give a gift of $50, $100, or whatever you are able so that CT can continue to spur the Church onward in its fundamental calling of loving one another in a world that favors division and hatred.
Help us reclaim and model how to listen with the love of Christ. Today through next week only, I’m excited to share that your gift will be doubled dollar-for-dollar up to $209,000—thanks to generous ministry partners.
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