Greetings and salutations!
I hope this week’s post finds you all doing well and staying healthy. I’ll start this email by saying how much I miss my church family. It’s been a difficult past few weeks for me, and it’s in these moments that you realize how much you value community. I’m so thankful to even have a church community to miss. I can’t wait until we get to gather together again and have one of the longest post-worship greetings ever.
Midweek Musing
If you watch the news at all, or you have been active on social media even in the slightest, you will know that we, as a nation, are going through a very painful time right now. Racism has once again become an issue that has captured the headlines of all news outlets. It is the ultimate pandemic that we as a nation have not been able to cure. Social distancing, washing our hands, or wearing a mask can’t fix this issue.
There is so much I could say about this matter, but I will try to keep this musing brief by addressing one aspect. It is something that has been on my heart even before the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor came to light. I kept reflecting on why disunity is so dangerous, the importance of unity, and how hospitality can be an practical tool in all of this.
A problem: Disunity
Before we had to stop gathering for church, we were in the midst of a very exciting study of the spiritual realm, a topic that I took great measures to avoid until I came upon the study put together by the Bible Project team. Pastor Steve even spoke on this topic in his sermon this past Sunday. You might be wondering what disunity has to do with the spiritual realm. These are very much tied together. In my studying for Sunday School, I listened to a podcast by the Bible Project in which they made the connection for me. They were discussing how the evidence of forces of evil at work can sometimes be embedded in disunity in the church. It’s those subtle and seemingly harmless riffs that happen in the life of a church that can sometimes grow into ugly, divisive disputes when not addressed properly with honest and loving discussion.
This moment in the life of the church is absolutely crucial. Each issue we’re facing today, from racism to the pandemic, has the potential to cause great rifts within the body of Christ and damage our ability to reach out to others. Or, it can be the moment where the church takes back ground that we’ve lost. We become the hands and feet of God in the restoration and healing of a very hurt and unhealthy nation.
A solution: Unity
It’s one of those buzzwords that we have seen flying around a lot in the past week. I’ve seen glimpses of it in the news or on social media. However, the overwhelming feeling I get when I take in information from these sources is that there’s a lot of disunity that has come out. People are using social media to attack their fellow man. One thing that I’ve realized more and more is that unity does not mean that everyone agrees on everything. You might even disagree with something I’ve written in this message. That’s ok. I don’t love you any less for that, and I value hearing differing opinions or ways that I can improve in my communication. The church should be a safe place for people to come in and share their beliefs, hold them up against scripture, and have a discussion about them. It is absolutely crucial for the church to engage in what’s happening in our nation today, and to be the safe place for those who are hurting and even for those who have been hurtful.
A tool: Hospitality (This is key)
This past week, I picked up a book that is on my ever-growing stack of books to read. It has been one of the most challenging and uplifting books I’ve read in a long time. It’s called The Gospel Comes with a House Key, by Rosaria Butterfield. The very first paragraph of the preface is what grabbed me. She states:
“Radically ordinary hospitality- those who live it see strangers as neighbors and neighbors as family of God. They recoil at reducing a person to a category or a label. They see God’s image reflected in the eyes of every human being on earth. They know they are like meth addicts and sex-trade workers. They take their own sin seriously- including the sin of selfishness and pride. They take God’s holiness and goodness seriously. They use the Bible as a lifeline, with no exceptions.”
Can you imagine what would happen if the church grabbed hold of this practice and engaged its community in this way? It would change everything. What would happen if I would see my home not just as my own little fortress of solitude and safety, but as my ground-zero for “mission work” and serving my neighborhood?
This is how we address disunity and work towards unity in our life and church: by becoming a people who are known for our hospitality and ability to serve those around us. We are in a very special moment in the life of our nation and church. We have been forced to slow down and stay home (thanks to the virus), and now we have the chance to really engage with our community.
Let’s not waste this moment:
Learn about your community.
Talk with your neighbors.
Pray for the unity.
Resources:
If you want to be seriously challenged in an empowering way, I highly recommend reading The Gospel Comes with a House Key, by Rosaria Butterfield. I’ve only read the first couple chapters and it’s already impacted and changed the way I see my home.