Living the Welcome
Seventh after Pentecost - Year A
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Seventh after Pentecost - Year A
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Let us pray: O God, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be ones which tell of your presence in our lives and may they be ones which reflect your power and glory. Amen.
The title for this reflection is unashamedly taken from the name of an event which Nancy Trotter and I attended last year in Grande Prairie. It was offered as part of the Emerging Spirit campaign of The United Church of Canada - a campaign that seeks to reach out to folks in the thirty to forty-five age range.
I chose the title not so much to say more about Emerging Spirit, but because it serves as a useful way to highlight the passage I've chosen to focus on from the scripture readings. Given that, I will say a bit more about the things we were invited to consider at the May 2007 event.
Research shows that there is a continuing, if not increasing, interest in spirituality especially among the 30 - 45 age group. Survey results also point out that interest in spirituality quite clearly does not translate into interest in organised religion. In fact, organised religion for many people who fall into the demographic, could be seen to detract from the desire to acknowledge and sustain the spiritual component of life. Rather than being a place where spiritual interests can be sought and nurtured, church is seen as a place which limits and smothers the opportunity to engage in soul renewing and sustaining activities. That’s the bad news.
The good news, at least I think it is good news, is that people in the Emerging Spirit target population who have no church background have a hard time differentiating among different expressions of the Christian faith. A theologically conservative congregation which takes the Bible literally is not really different from a theologically liberal or progressive congregation which interprets the Bible from an historical critical point of view. Unfortunately, this wide net which places all church groups and theologies together, is not one with a positive point of view. Churches generally are seen as hard nosed, unforgiving, judgemental and generally welcoming only if attenders fit a certain template of the right way to look and be.
You may be wondering why I think this is good news! Hopefully, like me, you see in this an opportunity. The opportunity lies in differentiating ourselves from the mainstream unchurched population’s understanding of what church is all about. I think we are different from the other expressions of the Christian faith that are out there. I also think that the way we understand the call to be followers of God’s way is one which has a lot of congruency with the searching and the seeking that is happening for folks who are interested in spirituality but not in organised religion.
The opportunity then is to find ways to let it be known that we are different. It’s not an easy kind of journey. You see, I think we need to be careful that we don’t portray ourselves so differently that we end up separating ourselves from the Christian community. Yes, we may see ourselves differently, perhaps even more righteous in the way we interpret the Christian message as one of openness and inclusion, but we also know the danger of self-righteousness - when we feel so right that we are blinded to the right ways of living faithfully that are demonstrated by our sisters and brothers in other denominations.
It is important to name the motivation here. Ultimately this is not about being attractive so that we have larger congregations and more members. It’s not about saying “look at us and how we are growing!” It’s about being faithful.
In fact, Jesus had cautions about how difficult the life of faith can be. As I mentioned in the introduction to the gospel reading - last week’s reading had him warning that following God’s way could cause dissension among family members. If there is even an infinitesimal bit of good news from the Hebrew bible reading today it could be that being faithful can require difficult decisions.
So, we have this two fold and paradoxical calling, reminiscent of the part of the letter we heard today that was addressed by Paul to the Roman Christians. Celebrate the freedom we have to live as followers of God’s way, but be reminded that freedom to live in God’s way is not a life that is free of constraints.
Here is the call we have from God - to be welcoming, to offer a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty. I also believe it is to be welcoming without reservation. This is an inclusive, arms wide open, judgements and preconceived ideas set aside, cultural and generational differences held in check, kind of welcome that we are being called to.
And here is part of the challenge - in our welcoming we will be changed - for those who come among us will bring new insights, new ways of being faithful, new perspectives on what it means to be spiritual people. Change is never easy, and it is especially difficult when change comes about from those who used to be outside who are now inside. But when our goal is to try as much as possible not to have an outside and an inside, it is inevitable that there will be struggles along that journey of change.
Living the welcome invites us not only to be welcoming in word, but also in deed. It means that we have not only a friendly open attitude, but also a friendly open spirit - open to be changed by the welcome that we offer. May we be open to God’s welcoming, inspiring and challenging call. Amen.