Pastor Russell Levenson shares message as he retires: We are called to be a 'light of Christ' to others
People need to feel loved when they walk into church, Levenson says
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Rev. Russell Levenson, who is celebrating his retirement after serving in the nation’s largest Episcopal Church, says the call of all religious communities is to love one another.
"Jesus invited His followers to remain in Him," Levenson told "Your World" on Wednesday. "They said the chief way you... remain in our Lord is by loving one another, and so I do think that the chief expression of the Christian faith — Judeo-Christian faith — is that we love one another, and when people walk into churches these days, I think they need to feel loved not only by God, but by those who are there."
FEAST OF THE ASCENSION A CHANCE TO REFLECT ON 'LETTING GO' TO GROW IN FAITH, SAYS MAINE PRIEST
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pastor Russell Levenson reflects on his service as he retires from being the pastor of St. Martin's Church in Houston on 'Your World.' (Fox News)
The religious leader explained the importance of "leading" with love in a world where "there's so much that seems overwhelming."
"One of my good friends used to say, 'You eat an elephant one bite at a time,' and it seems like there's an elephant of problems all around us," he said. "But look at the issue or the problem or the person right in front of you. Do what you can, where you are."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Rev. Dr. Russell Levenson, rector at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, poses for a portrait in the church's new Parish Life Center Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021 in Houston. (Photo by Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
The former leader of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas, encouraged others to take heart in listening to the voice of God as "God is shining through [them]."
"We need to be still enough and quiet enough in a world which has a lot of noise right now... and listen to that voice of God inviting us to be in community with each other, inviting us to love one another, inviting us to serve one another," Levenson said. "That's putting our best foot forward, but it's also being a light of Christ to other people, which we're called to be."