The Beloved Community
What makes up a Beloved Community? Or,
more appropriately, what are the hallmarks of a Beloved Community?
The first, obviously, is that it is based in love. Not the starry,
infatuated, emotional kind of first loves, but the kind that hopes
all things, bears all things, endures all things. The second is that
it is based in gospel justice, it proclaims the love of God to the
world, it addresses that which is counter to the mission of God, and
it attempts to do so in such a way that, hopefully, opens our eyes to
see where and how God is working in the world around us.
Invariably, though, when the community
of God meets the powers of the world, things will be said that offend
certain people. The prophets offended kings. John the Baptist and
Jesus offended Scribes, Pharisees, temple authorities, and other
political leaders. Paul offended parishioners in Corinth and
Galatia. Bishop Paul Jones of Utah, a recognized saint of the
Episcopal church, offended church leaders when he spoke out against
WWI. Bonhoeffer offended any number of Germans. Martin Luther King,
Jr., offended the white majority. And, no doubt, I offended some
people by calling out the president's anti-Christian behavior.
As people of the world, disagreements
happen and people are offended. As Christians living in the world,
we are no different – which is why I'm convinced that Jesus
promised to be in the midst of us when two or three are gathered
together. The difference, as I see it, is that the world has moved
to a win-at-all-costs mentality, regardless of how harmful that may
be. In contrast, the Beloved Community is continually working to
align kingdom goals, gospel justice, and the baptismal covenant with
our daily living. Sometimes that means pointing out inconsistencies
with how we say we will live versus our actual
behaviors. And sometimes that means people will be offended.
God, the Church, and her ministers
have, at times, disturbed, disrupted, and offended the world. Thomas
Kennedy did such a thing right here when he proposed removing the
requirement that people holding public office be Christians in what
came to be known as “The Jew Bill.”
I have offended people in the past, and
I will probably offend people in the future. But those words spoken
and written are never spoken or written with an intent to offend;
rather, they are offered to make people aware of situations that are
contrary to my understanding of gospel ideals, the mission of God,
and of the Beloved Community.
As part of that community, our
challenge is to confront the disparate goals of God and world in such
a way that generates open and honest conversations without resorting
to threats or personal attacks. In other words, if we can bear and
endure with each other in all things, then we will have the
foundation of a Beloved Community.
Blessings,
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