What Now? - Part 2

In Friday's “On The Way” reflection I wrote:

“In our time, as in all previous tumultuous times, the Church of Jesus Christ is called to do what it has always done:  proclaim the Good News of God’s love and grace for all people in Jesus Christ, walk with the poor, the powerless, the lost and the forsaken, work for healing and shalom among the broken and the suffering, and pray for the words and the wisdom we need to be the Body of  Christ in the world.  The promises of Jesus give us the hope and the courage to carry out this mission.”

I believe that.  But, because I understand that others may read this call to return to what is central in different ways, I want to expand on what I think this means for the Church in this tumultuous time. 

The Church is called to proclaim the Good News of God’s love and grace to all people…   but, especially to those on the margins, not just those who think and believe like we do.  That means LGBTQ people, and undocumented immigrants, and people of all races, cultures and creeds.  Loving all people does not mean “convert” them.  It means “love them.”  It means to see others as beloved children of God.  It means seeing the image of God in their faces.  It means treating them with compassion and respect.  It means expecting God to teach us something in the midst of our relationships with people who are different than we are.

…walk with the poor, the powerless, the lost and the forsaken…   As a person of privilege and power, I admit that can never fully understand the pain and suffering that those on the margins of our society experience.  But that doesn’t mean we cannot walk together.  I struggle with how to do that (see my reflection from a week ago).  Instead of vilifying people, putting them down, and rejecting them – which seems to happen with all too much frequency these days – we need to listen.   Can we who are privileged hear, really hear, the cries of African Americans, immigrants and the LGBTQ community?   Can we hear the pain and fear  that drives those who protest?  Can we hear the stories of women who have been abused without blaming the victim?  Do we even try to know our Muslim neighbors, or do we simply accept the stereotypes that cast every Muslim in the worst possible light?   We have a lot of work to do here.

…work for healing and shalom among the broken and the suffering…  The issues that confront our nation and our world are as complex as they are divisive.  The solutions cannot be found in thirty-second sound bites, and venom filled diatribes.  People of faith need to bring a voice of reconciliation and hope into the midst of those who are trying to find positive, life-giving paths forward.  We need to facilitate bringing diverse people to the table to thoughtfully search for solutions.   We need to respond through acts of kindness, and mercy for those in need, and advocate for systemic changes that reflect the intent of our loving Creator who cared enough for us (as messed up as we humans can be) to live among us and die for us.  That, in my opinion, is what it means to “build bridges of justice, hope and peace in a tumultuous world.”

Peace,

Bishop Mike