”A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:34-35

God, I really love our Church! Services in various langu- ages, the fragrance of Iranian food, our patient ushers in the foajé, the fight for venues, culture-clashes…
The multicultural society shakes. We are stood against THEM. Love hardens. Political parties are stood against other parties, poor against rich, ethnicity against ethni- city, culture against culture.

We are FOR and we are AGAINST. Love gets colder.
Jesus says, Love one another. Then He shows us how far God ́s love stretches.
Smyrna is an explosion of ethnic groups, opinions and life stories. Our unique mission shines like a beacon in this disrupted society: Our multicultural church is not an exciting experiment for a traditional Pentecostal church. It is a sacred mission to form loves enormous poten-
tial to heal, restore and break down walls that come between us. It is a holy response to do all we can to succeed. Great and small are called to choose love. Again and again.
We have already discovered that it costs. We need to ad- just habits and expectations in order to stretch towards each other. Invite others to our table. Make new contacts at coffee time. Communicate even if we don ́t know the language. Share what we own, Discover the treasure. A brother, a sister.
The greatest gift we can give society – is succeeding. The church is the hope of the world. God, I love our Church! /Anne-Jorid Ahgnell

Prayer:

– Thank God for all nationalities in our church.
– Thank God for the great confidence He has shown us. – Pray for God ́s presence when we meet at Super Sundays.
– Pray that we will grow in love and relationships.