As a pastor I am always looking for great resources; studies, ideas, insights. Listening to others is the best way I know how to not begin to shape God in my image. Of course, many of us would much prefer God would just go along with us. But I consider my #1 role as a clergy leader is to take the hands of those I meet and walk towards God in the most direct path possible. Along the way we will have conversations and experiences that could either pull us away from God or move us towards a more holy connection with the Divine. One of my favorite resources is a site called Seedbed. My friend (aka professor from seminary), JD Walt, is the sower of this seedbed. Seedbed is filled with articles, blogs, video and curricula to assist me in maintaining consistency of the message. Today as I read "The Daily Text," a commentary piece written by JD something caught my attention; their tag line stating their organization vision:
"Resourcing people, communities, and movements to love the whole world with the whole gospel."
Whoa, slow down. This statement may capture my thoughts for the entire day or longer. Wouldn't it be amazing if this was every follower of Christ's goal for each day.
"Allow me to unpack" (a cool term I learned in seminary meaning, "I don't really know what you mean but I don't want you to know so spell it out for me".
"Resourcing" - People are our faith's greatest asset. Jesus knew what he had in his people. We are broken, messed up but we are covered in God's rich grace, a grace that makes us right in God's eyes and gives each of us gifts that support and enrich the people of the world. It is only smart to gather these, resources and and put them to work. Jesus did this with His disciples. He found the right ones, or the wrong ones depending on how you look at it. these men were not religious leaders or scholars. They were fishermen, tax collectors, average "joes". Men with no voice or power but through their face-to-face relationship with Jesus they came to know God and their gifts were empowered to be resourced for change. I am an average joe but aren't we all?
"Communities" - Groups of people, living close, geographically, often have begun to resource their gifts in coordinated efforts to benefit their communities. Setting forth to elevate those existing assets into a larger product is a grand plan. Maybe even a Divine plan!
"Movements" - Movement is a word most of us United Methodists should be familiar and comfortable with. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodsit Movement is reported to never aspire for the people called Methodists to be a denomination. He had his reasons, one of which he was an Anglican priest and never wanted to move away from that affiliation, but I think he had faith fed insight to more. Denominations are institutions. Institutions, by their definition, are in danger of becoming sedentary. Movements...well...move. Jesus told us to move. There was no room in his dialogue for standing still. He even said, "Go, therefor...". We can't live out our faith if we are not in motion. A group of people, a community, moving in a concerted effort, are powerful, amazing. When those very communities are resourced for God it is transformative.
Imagine moving these large gifts from God, through large groups of people to love - to love the whole world. Imagine what it would be like to not only love those in our family, but those in our community, our world; even those that are not loving toward us. I have a person in my life that can only be described as having a retaliatory spirt. If this person perceives an injury from you, this person will hurt you back. The other qualities in this person are eventually overshadowed by the desire to hurt those that she feels are injurious to her. Eventually division is created between her and those who so desperately want to be in friendship with her. They end up loving her from a distance to avoid being hurt. Unfortunately, some may stop loving. We are created to forgive and forgive again. to extend grace to all, deserved or not. God set the standard and invites us to respond to his extension of mercy to pass it toward others. This grace extension is at the root of love. In order to love as we are called to love the world - we have to love the whole world - even those that are like my friend; hard to love, maybe even against us. Division and retaliation is never productive.
But loving all people is the whole gospel. Richard Stearns, president of World Vision, wrote a book about the whole gospel called, A Hole in Our Gospel. The "Monica's Cliff Note What it Meant to Me Version," states that loving God, as a Christian, is important, and we often stop there. The greatest Commandment actually urges us to love others as we love ourselves. Without loving others there is a hole in our gospel. Have you ever thought about giving people the whole gospel; more than John 3:16. But maybe through in a pinch of John 3:17; maybe loving people into a real relationship with Christ.
While I love Seedbed and all they offer. For me today, I feel today, the thinking I was forced to do in looking at their organizational vision will propel me into being more intentional in my movement in this Kingdom. I hope you will too.
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