The church is not a building
. . . the church, it is the PEOPLE, living out their lives. . . .
When the pandemic hit Wisconsin, and a public health emergency shuttered
our sanctuaries and people were sheltering at home, I was serving in a small
rural parish. What to do about worship? Luckily I was “sheltering at home” with
my wife, the pastor at a larger congregation. Working together, we were able to
create online worship services for all three congregations.
I also started sending out weekly informational and inspirational emails to members of my parish. The purpose was to keep people’s spirits up AND to let them know what was going on as far as worship, meetings, and gatherings. For many of these weekly messages, I started with the words above, from a song by the contemporary Christian composer, Jay Beech. Here’s the refrain: I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together! All who follow Jesus, all around the world! Yes, we're the church together!
The idea of “being together” started circulating even more widely about a
month after everything shut down. Signs started showing up in store windows in
the town where I live, signs that were a response to the COVID-19 pandemic: We
are all in this TOGETHER! I even saw a few t-shirts. Perhaps you saw signs or
t-shirts like that in your own communities at some point over the past six
months?
Reminding us of our unity was surely well-intentioned. But it was a
statement of hope, not a reflection of reality. We were all a bit naïve.
Instead of experiencing unity we became even more divided, as a country, as
communities, and as churches.
We have been divided for years, in ways that used to be invisible but
have come into view since Barack Obama was elected president in 2008. We are
not “together” with each other, finding common ground. We have not been
“together” as a people or as a church for a long time.
What does the church do in a society as divided as ours? Do we offer a
“sanctuary” of peace and quiet behind our real and virtual walls, a
“politics-free zone” where the bitterness and divisiveness cannot reach us? After
all, there is value in offering “sanctuary” or “sabbath” space and time for
quiet reflection and healing, away from all of that noise and fury.
However, as members of a church founded by Martin Luther back in 1521, we
are called to take our faith out of our sanctuaries and into our communities.
Meditation and prayer are needed, but so is action. We are called to work
together as the people of God for the common good in our communities, states,
and countries.
And we have this as an asset: as the church, as God’s people, we have a
history of being strong when strength was needed. Working together, we have
voices that can still proclaim what Jesus proclaimed before us: words of love
and acts of service for neighbors, not judgement and intolerance. As the
church, we can become a way out of division, bringing people together onto
common ground, where differences can be discussed respectfully, with all able
to speak and all expected to listen.
According to Martin Luther, God calls us to serve our neighbors when they
are in need, regardless of who they are or what they have done. There are many
neighbors right now who need us to help figure out how to heal divisions in our
communities, work that cannot be done silently or only on Sunday mornings in
worship services. What Martin Luther and Jesus call us to say and do for our
neighbors can only happen outside, in the streets and marketplaces of our
communities.
Are we willing to listen to the Holy Spirit’s call to mend and heal? Are
we willing to learn what we can do to help instead of divide? Do you have ideas
on how to do that? Let’s talk about them!
Breathe deep. Have courage. Be assured that we are all in God’s hands.
Deacon David Rask Behling, Hunger and Justice Advocate, NW Synod of Wisconsin
No comments:
Post a Comment