“…. for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. 27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26-28 | NRSV
Just a couple of weeks ago our district clergy were invited to participate in a wonderful conversation with Dr. Elaine Heath around her book, The Healing Practice of Celebration. We did this via zoom, and the Holy Spirit pervaded and persuaded in our time of sharing. What a gift to share with Elaine around her own experiences of moving out into the unknown, of the healing power of memory, of the lessons associated with failure, and how we learn to celebrate in a divided world. Elaine helped us all to remember that in the midst of change – God remains …
Our mission as followers of Jesus Christ is unchanged. We who have been engrafted in The Vine through the branch of our United Methodist family, are called to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” In her book, Elaine notes how this grand mission is possible.
What is the method God has given for the transformation of the world? How do we do this? By living the great hymn of self-emptying that Paul quoted in his letter to the Philippians:
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who,
though he was in the form of God, who did not regard equality
with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave, – Philippians 2:5-7a | NRSV
By becoming self-emptying communities of Jesus followers who live, work, and serve for the flourishing of our neighborhoods. By reflecting within our communities of faith the healing of every sinful division that fractures our society. By finally, for the first time in history, sustaining in real life the extraordinary vision that the Apostle Paul described in his letter to the Galatians. (see above) – The Healing Practice of Celebration, pg 89
Some years ago, Kayla McLurg offered us this glimpse of a transformed world via a sculpture just beneath her 3rd floor office window in Washington DC.
This bronze statue is in DC’s Adams Morgan neighborhood outside Christ House, a medical facility for homeless men – a ministry of Church Of The Savior
“Any one of you can earn first place,” Jesus says. “All that is required is to be the last. The most honored position is that of servant. Find someone who is most often overlooked, like this child perhaps, and welcome her. It will be the same as welcoming me. From the third floor window I see people greet him, pat his arm and hug his shoulders, calling out, “Amigo!” Sometimes they put a soft drink in his hands on a muggy afternoon or put a stocking cap and scarf on him when winter winds blow. The sculptor, Jimilu Mason, hoped we would be drawn into such interactions with him. She says one of her favorite memories is asking a child, who had climbed up on his shoulders, “Do you know whose shoulders you’re standing on?” He shook his head, and when she smiled and whispered, “It’s Jesus,” his eyes grew wide and he scrambled down. Looking now with wonder into the sculpture’s face, he said, “Meant no harm, sir.”
If we, and our world are to be transformed, it begins with a transforming friendship with God through Jesus Christ. We can be confident that God is working for good – in each of us, in our congregations, and across the world. We are standing on Jesus’ shoulders, and they’re more than strong enough to bear us up, and all the world for that matter. On his shoulders we ALL are one.
Still In ONE Peace,
Jon (the Methodist)