How do we respond to what’s happening in the world, in our cities, and in our homes? How do we battle the spiritual forces of evil, systemic injustices, and the sin sickness in our own hearts? What makes our response as Christians distinct? Many things!
We Love God and Our Neighbors
I recently re-read Henri Nowen’s The Living Reminder, and found this passage especially compelling:
“It is this unconditional and unreserved love for God that leads us to the care for our neighbor, not as an activity which distracts us from God or competes with our attention to God, but as an expression of our love for God who reveals himself to us as the God of all people. It is in God that we find our neighbors and discover our responsibility to them.”
Dorothy Day said, “I only love God as much as I love the person I love the least.” If we love God first, we will invariably be drawn to love our neighbors, and even go so far as to lay down our lives for them. And yet, loving our neighbors first puts us as at risk for many things including: burnout, bitterness, anger, and even ungodly intervention (remember Moses?).
We are Formed by the Bible
Scripture develops our vision of human flourishing and our role in bringing it about. What were God’s intentions for humanity? How did we get so far off track? Where are we heading? What can we be sure of?
The Bible contains a unified and overarching narrative that moves from the brokenness of the nations (Genesis 11) to the healing of the nations (Revelation 22). Here are a few passages that tell this story:
God created all people to reflect his glory (Gen 1:27).
All humans are subject to sin (Gen 3).
From the call of Abram, God is concerned with blessing the whole world (Gen 12:2).
God is against ethnic slavery (Exodus).
God’s people are commanded to remember their enslavement and subsequent freedom (Ex 12).
Achan models the corporate responsibilities of sin (Joshua 7).
Daniel models confession and repentance of ancestral sin (Daniel 9:3-19).
The Prophets lay out “true religion” (Is 58), our need for a complete heart transplant (Eze 36), and call us to seek justice (Is 1:17, Micah 6:8).
God wonderfully made every individual person (Psalm 139).
Jesus breaks through racial barriers (John 4).
Jesus speaks Truth to Power (Matthew 21:12–17, Mark 11:15–19, and Luke 19:45–48)
Repentance includes restoration and restitution (Lk 19:1-10).
The Cross is the locus of human suffering and trauma, but also the source of our redemption and resurrection.
Jesus commissions whole life discipleship to all nations (Mt 28).
We are free to sacrifice our finances for others (Acts 2:45).
The Spirit descends on people of all tongues and ethnic backgrounds (Acts 2:7-12).
Cornelius and Peter work through ethnic tension (Acts 10).
We are not allowed to numb out when other people suffer (Rom 12:15).
The Good News of Jesus knits divided people together (Gal 3:28).
Christians participate in the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5) and embrace grief that leads to repentance (2 Cor 7:10).
God values the unique voice of every tribe, tongue, and nation (Rev 7).
Oppressive institutions will be destroyed (Rev 18).
God will dwell with us (Rev 21).
Preachers are commonly told, “Never preach more of God’s demand than God’s supply.” In today’s world, secular culture preaches lots of demand and very limited supply. When we allow Scripture to form us, we’re able to throw off worldly condemnation and despair, and we open ourselves to Godly conviction that leads to real change, in ourselves, and in the world.
We Confess and Lament
As we look to the Bible to form us, we must confront the ways in which Christians have at various times and in various places wielded Scripture as a weapon of oppression, rather than a key to freedom. This leads us to confession.
For those of us in liturgical traditions, we weekly confess our sin on an individual and corporate level. We ask for forgiveness not only for the wrongs we have done, but for the things we have left undone. Maybe I haven’t committed any explicitly racist actions, but what restorative work in the world have I/we evaded due to our busyness or apathy?
We dive into greater prayer for the church and for the world, utilizing the church’s strong muscles of lament. And through the sacraments of baptism and eucharist, we participate in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus envelopes us with real presence and spiritually nourishes us for holy vocation, “to love and serve the world.”
We Repent
In order to better understand our present injustices, we link arms with local churches and host our own conferences, book discussions, and film screening.
Repentance doesn’t stop with intellectual enlightenment. It necessitates the work of repairing and restoration. So, we partner with others: Matthew 25, Anglican Multi-Ethnic Network (AMEN), Nokomis East Community Association, Community Emergency Services, Together for Good, InnerCHANGE, Anselm House, Arrive Ministries, Caminemos Juntos, and Prison Fellowship.
We Exercise Hope
An old professor tells the story of how his mother used to always commend the book of Revelation to new Christians. This professor initially scoffed at the suggestion, believing that it was too complex and mysterious for new believers. But the mother retorted, “People have to know how the story ends!”
Have you read Revelation lately? The final chapter paints a beautiful picture of a river flowing from the throne of God, and on its banks a tree of life, whose leaves are for the healing of nations.
Christians are called to participate in far more than the culture is asking of us right now. We are called into the healing of nations. And we can throw ourselves fully into this work because it didn’t start with us, it doesn’t depend on us, and it will be brought about with or without us! Amen, may it be so!
In Christ,
Molly
