Tags
Bible, Christ, Christian faith, Epistle to the Ephesians, new humanity, peace, reconciliation, walls of separation, wide mercy
Christians are known as “people of the Book,” people whose lives are shaped by the Word that God communicates to us through Scripture. We look to the Bible to tell not just any story, but OUR story. In the Bible, we connect with people who struggle to be faithful, people who rely as we do upon the mercies of God.
Mortimer Adler has said, “In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.” So the true test of how honestly, faithfully, and seriously you are reading the Bible is how much of it is getting through to you!
Two powerful cultural influences create problems for us as we read and respond to the Bible. One is the myth of productivity, which says we are what we do. The second is the myth of consumption, where our perceived worth is measured by our possessions.
The world will not be changed by how hard we work or how many things we own. Our discipleship will not be more fruitful based on what we produce or consume. Our worth is tied up entirely in what Christ has done for all people – breaking down the dividing walls that separate us from one another, the walls we place between ourselves and God, the walls of greed and pride in our hearts, the walls constructed of hatred, injustice, and fear.
United Methodist Bishop Elaine Stanovsky tells a story about one of her three sons, a freshman in college, who returned to his dorm room one evening to find one of his roommates drinking and despondent. As her son talked to him, he discovered that this roommate was gay, and he was a long way from home. That day he had received word that a good friend from high school had committed suicide. He was closeted and had no support system.
Her son didn’t know what to do, but he turned to his roommate, and he said, “Do you go to church?” And the boy said, “Well, I did, but my pastor at home was pretty condemning, and so I really haven’t gone, and I don’t have a church here.”
Her son said, “I attend Epworth Church, just across campus. It’s a reconciling congregation. You could come.”
What he didn’t say to his despondent roommate that night was, “Homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.”
Then Bishop Stanovsky added, “We are so grateful that our son had a church that he could invite his friend to. I am so glad that he grew up in the wideness of God’s mercy” [Vimeo posted on Facebook, July 20, 2012].
The writer of Ephesians reminds us, “Christ is our peace.” Christ came to reconcile all things, things on earth, and things in heaven, so that God would be all in all. In spite of our inclinations to divide ourselves up along party lines, religious denominations, or economic status, Christ enables us to see one another for the sisters and brothers that we are. In spite of our disagreements and the trouble we have living with difference, Christ challenges us to forgive, to strive for mutual understanding, and to be gracious toward one another.
It is up to us to take care not to build or maintain walls of separation between ourselves and others. It is up to us to examine our hearts to find those invisible but very real barriers that can so easily be erected in our lives. In a world that constantly encourages the “us versus them” mentality, the Christian message is that there is no “them.” There is only “us” – all of us, right here in the same boat, members of the same human family. Christ has created in himself “one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace” (Eph. 2:15b).
Christ does this work of reconciliation for us, among us, and within us. Still, it is up to us to develop within ourselves a spirit of cooperation with the Spirit of Christ. In so doing we are becoming people after God’s own heart.
Give me a pure heart — that I may see Thee,
A humble heart — that I may hear Thee,
A heart of love — that I may serve Thee,
A heart of faith — that I may abide in Thee.
~ Dag Hammarskjold, Markings, 1964
Words (c) 2012 Mark Lloyd Richardson
Photo (c) 2012 Dallis Day Richardson
dreamprayact 
This is an excellent post (and picture) for so many reasons. Thank you for the challenge to develop a spirit of cooperation with the Spirit of Christ and the reminder that there is no “them,” only “us.”
Thanks, Merlin. I truly believe that our role is to cooperate with what God is already doing in the world. Christ goes before us wherever our paths lead. We participate in this worshipful work by being willing to surrender our lives to the new creation coming into being by the power and intention of the Spirit. Many blessings, Mark
The last few weeks I feel a little like Balaam with an ass that won’t go and thankfully for the Angel with a sword to make me heed my own headstrong ways. Thankfully, I’ve been learning some valuable lessons along this journey…. One thing I’m learning is the world is a world of constant change and what may work at one time in life may not be so good for you later… and it behooves us to notice these changes to be able to discern the directions that will bring us to our true destinations.. and save us from a heap of heart ache!
Change is the one constant, isn’t it, both individually and globally? How open and adaptive we are to change is crucial, of course. Always we maintain a learner’s stance in relation to ourselves and all that goes on around us. Thanks for your thoughtful comment. Peace, Mark
I feel that one of the greatest sadnesses of our time is the way that so many churches openly condemn homosexuality. When did open judgement and mean language become acceptable in church from church leaders? If Jesus wasn’t here to judge, I’m pretty confident that we aren’t either. Love this beautiful loving post. 🙂
You’re right that language has the power to harm and cause pain, and is often misused by the very ones who claim to serve someone whose life and message was all about loving and saving humankind. Thanks for your comment. Peace, Mark
Thank you for the wonderful reminder in word and picture of “Christ our peace.” I’m grateful for the resolution passed recently at Western Jurisdiction Conference stating that General Conference “was in error” in its stance that “Homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching;” and encourages us to build an inclusive church that is “obedient to the gospel,” functioning as if the exclusive statement of General Conference never occurred.
Piula, I imagine you heard Bishop Stanovsky tell the story above while you were in San Diego. I’m glad you helped write the resolution that was adopted, saying that we must be obedient to the gospel. It is a hopeful sign that perhaps we can help lead the way toward an inclusive church. Peace, Mark
Thank you for this heart opening piece. Beautifully written.
Thanks for your affirming words, Linda. Peace, Mark
This article of yours has moved me to happy tears. Lately I have been contemplating kindness, and am posting a few articles on this theme, and today I shared a favorite parable about the Good Samaritan. In studying deeper, one notices how Jesus never points out the race of the beaten and robbed victim – because it doesn’t matter whether he is Jew or whatever. He is a person needing help and the Samaritan sees only that. I love how you once commented to me that Jesus wouldn’t ask clarifying questions first, and I still find that simple truth quite profound. He loves and accepts because we are children of God, no matter our color or clothing, politics or family, or whatever. Ok – long comment, oops – but this is another one of your wonderful writings that I will happily return to for further re-reads and ongoing inspiration. Thank you deeply.
With love and gratitude, Gina
Happy tears are good. Thank you for your wonderful comment. The parable of the Good Samaritan is a favorite of mine as well. I think generally people have no idea how radical it is. The original hearers would have heard Jesus speaking favorably about someone from a group of people they despised (the Samaritans) and be puzzled. In addition to being a lesson about extravagant compassion and grace, the parable challenges the existing hatreds between people. Jesus seems to say that your enemies are your enemies because you have made them your enemies — not a very comforting or comfortable word to hear. As always, Gina, thanks for reading and thanks for sharing you insights. You are a blessing. Peace, Mark
Dear Mark, I do believe this is the first time I have ever heard a Christian pastor speak so openly about the message of oneness and reconciliation in the most grounded, wise and loving of ways. You might be interested to know that I actually grew up going to church and after graduating from law school decided to become a missionary. I even went for training in New Zealand and the US. But in all that time I never once heard this precious message that you speak of now – that the essence of the message of Christ to love one another transcends man-made boundaries of the saved and the unsaved. I am sure it would have made a very big difference to me if I had met a pastor like you back then as a young seeker out to make a difference. Well, I’m still glad I met you now! And thank you again for your lifetime labour of love. Shaz
Dear Sharon, it means a great deal to me to have you share this comment. My experience as a pastor is that my message about a generous kind of faith that is open to the world and appreciative of other world-views stirs gratitude in some and threatens others. For reasons I don’t fully understand, many people need their belief system to be “right” or to be “superior” or it cannot sustain them. I strive to give people another way to look at their lives and their faith.
I am very glad to have met you through this blogging community. Many blessings to you and your family. Thank you so much for your kind words. Peace, Mark