The Common Ground of Christianity

I've been thinking quite about of this thing. As a religious people, the basic believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior should be the link that bridges the religions of Christianity. How come it doesn't? Instead we've allowed Lucifer to use it as a wedge against one another.

At work today I rec'd a call from a customer who was giving me the fascinating details of the 400th Anniversary of the Settling of Jamestown, Va. This was THE first permanent English settlement from on this land we call America. (I love history!) She spoke of the different reinactments taking place and she mentioned one I found absolutely fascinating. She direct me toward a history of a Declaration of the first landing. Here are the paragraph that captured me the most:
"After a difficult journey, that included the death of one of the colonists in the Caribbean, and the imprisonment
of a soldier named Captain John Smith – on dubious charges of mutiny that were later dismissed – many of the colonists had nearly given up hope of ever arriving in the New World. Then on April 26, after enduring a violent thunderstorm that caused the sailors to bring down their sails, the colonists finally saw land in the distance.
They had arrived in Virginia! The ships entered the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and set anchor just beyond
the Atlantic Ocean. They named the placed Cape Henry, after James’ son, Henry, Prince of Wales.
Before permitting the settlers to continue with the work of looking for a permanent home, Rev. Hunt required
that each of the colonists wait on the ships for three days in a time of personal examination and
repentance. The journey had been filled with difficulty and in-fighting among the colonists. If they were to consecrate the land for God’s purposes, Hunt wanted the company to be contrite in heart.
Though the ships they sailed upon were very small, The Virginia Company leadership insisted that they carry one item with them from England for the purpose of giving glory to God in the endeavor – a rough-hewn wooden cross. After the three days had passed, Hunt led the party to the wind-swept shore where they erected the seven-foot oak cross in the sand.
The colonists and sailors gathered around the cross, holding the first formal prayer service in Virginia to give thanksgiving for God’s mercy and grace in bringing them safely to this new land. As they knelt in the sand, Hunt reminded them of the admonition of the British Royal Council, taken from the Holy Scripture: “Every plantation, which my Heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.”
Raising his hands to heaven, Rev. Robert Hunt claimed the land for country and king and consecrated the continent to the glory of God.
In response to the vision of the two Richard Hakluyt’s – a vision that had been adopted by many of these original settlers – Rev. Robert Hunt stood as a representative of the King, the Church, and the people of England, in a sacred moment, and dedicated the new continent to the purpose of God.
This was the first official act by the English in the New World.
In covenantal language he declared, “…from these very shores the Gospel shall go forth to not only this New World, but the entire world.”


I'm still in awe of this act of dedication to the Lord. As a Latter Day Saint I don't know why I'm amazed, we dedicate lands and building and such to the Lord on a regular basis: Our temples, our churches, when we open up a country for missionary work. I'm sure other religions do the same.

My customer was telling me that in the reenactment of this event this weekend, those who attended actually buried a cross in the ground, made a covenant to repent of their sins and rededicate their lives, their times and talents to God. She was so excited about being able to go and do this and in passing on the word and encouraging others to do the same.
Sound familiar? We also believe as long as we don't forget our Lord and dedicate this continent to him, we will be protected from the wars and other tragedies suffered in other lands.
Perhaps the reality of what a change we could each make in the world if we all were to repent and rededicate our lives to the service of God and building up his kingdom is what amazed me. I'm happy to know that others not of my faith of my family in Jesus Christ have rededicated themselves to the same cause. What a wonderful, wonderful thing to be apart of.