The structure of belonging

"The small group is the unit of transformation and the container for the experience of belonging." - Peter Block, Community.

The honor of people

“We live in an age where men fear each other, but do not fear God. As a result, ours is a society that is more and more stripped of grace.” – Miroslav Volf, 2012 lecture

I got to hear Volf speak at a lecture series last week, and his words still seem to be lingering in my mind almost a week later.

These are powerful words from Volf. His perspective is that at the root of our ever increasing incivility with one another, where people seem to react with more venom and vitriol, and the center doesn’t seem to hold together, is an absence of an awareness of a greater Person or Authority present and at work. Having less of an awareness of the Majesty of life, we have lost the awe of life itself.

Now, nothing is sacred. When nothing is valued, we have less reason to hold back, to restrain from hurting people or possessing things. Life becomes a game of reaching and grasping. People are lost in the shuffle. Living seems to be more of a hurried rush of actions and reactions. The simple beauty of each day seems to fade into the crunch of deadlines, noise, irritations, and the daily routines.

It would explain much in the way of our politics. It’s no longer “to the winner go the spoils”. It’s now more like “bloodsport” or “to the death of the other”. Political parties don’t just want to win; they want to utterly control all, while virtually annihilating the competition; bi-partisanship be darned. Forget negotiation and compromise. I make the rules, and you will be subservient to my wishes.

I was at a professional sports game recently. Maybe I’ve just been out of the loop for too long, but it struck me how intense the fans in the stands had become. It had veered far from cheering for one’s own team atmosphere to a heckle-and-insult the other team –their coach, their players, their fans, their mothers, their lineage, their eyesight—and so on. Profanity and vulgarity were considered art forms like using water colors or ink. And it only got worse for the referees.

Miroslav’s answer? For the devoted follower of Christ, it’s simple. Honor everyone (1 Peter 2:17). Practice indiscriminate respect. Look for the image of God in people, and value that. Learn to distinguish between a person’s deeds and actions, and their value as a human being. Regardless of whether the person’s positions are similar to yours, or the exact opposite, Volf said to always respect the person – and sometimes…maybe…respect their position.

Whether we agree or not is not the final issue. It’s whether or not we as a community, or as a nation, can sustain our differences and learn to honor each other in the process that will determine whether or not our country endures.

While we cannot save the world, we can affect the person that’s in front of us. And to do that, we can start by honoring them for who they are as a creature of the God of the universe.

My thoughts on the election

Today is a day that hurts.

It hurts to see my fellow citizens choose another path for our country. It hurts to see what I’ve perceived to be bad leadership rewarded and encouraged. It hurts to see policies that directly affect negatively the family become ensconced in the mechanical rituals of our national health care. It hurts to look at the gloom I’ve seen on the faces of many over these last few years, knowing that some of these circumstances that are the source of their sadness were avoidable - shaped by the national trends emerging out of decision-making power centers that seem out of touch with either the impact of their choices or the answers to resolve them. It just hurts.

We seem to want to walk down a pathway that is only going to invite more misery and hardship upon people, and yet all I can do is watch. Like being shackled to the prodigal son on his journey towards the land of wild and lavish living, I can do nothing but be dragged along to the place where I know this will end — eating leftover food products tossed to the pigs. I see the end, but all I can do is brace myself and wait.

This is the feeling I get when I watch the Ravens lose to the Steelers. The major difference being that is just a football game. In this case, I didn’t lose a game — I lost a country. And the ache is about 1000x sharper.

It’s understandable that most people have a desire to build an equitable society. That’s a noble quest. The difficulties arrive when different people have different pathways to making that happen. And choices have consequences. So to choose one path means we may not walk down another. I fear that in our haste to journey down one road, we may lose the wisdom and benefits we gloss over as outdated, passé, or irrelevant as we sail away from the paths not taken.

Most of us have an aversion to pain and suffering. We run from it, avoid it, minimize it. But we may be coming to a place in our country where those options are no longer viable. I believe the discomfort and unease we feel will continue unabated for the foreseeable future. We may even see increases in it as our nation strains at the sinews that are only barely keeping us connected together now.

We may continue to ache, like it says in Romans, being the creation that longs to be clothed with something other than the robes of ignorance, self-interest, reckless living, being enslaved to our passions.

So here comes the million dollar question: What can I take from this moment?

There are four consolations I draw out of this most painful moment. In no particular order…

First, the Kingdom of God is still real. The beauty of God’s timeless word is that his truth still is true, regardless of circumstance. So the Kingdom, a place where there will be no more crying, war, or pain, is still an ever-present expectation. I live each day in the light of this coming reality. And every day, we are one day closer to God’s kingdom coming – even on a day like today.

Second: If my country’s potential collapse is the precursor to the End coming, then I need to accept our part in the unfolding of history. This one is hard. I love my country dearly. But if my own country’s deterioration is one of the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that is a first step to the culminating of history, then I need to accept that. My prayer becomes more like the prayer of Gethsemane – may this cup of suffering pass from our lips; but Your will be done, not mine. Give me the strength to trust you; may my faith in you not fail as we walk this rocky road. Help me to be compassionate on many who will be even more so affected negatively by our direction. Help me not lose hope myself.

Third: Jesus is still real. This is the best truth. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). I need not fear that He is unaware of these choices we are making. He is sovereign and capable to help us navigate the minefield we’ve chosen to tip-toe through. Even if we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, he is still closer than a brother, and will bring all his power to bear upon the situations we face. My hope is in him, even if my worst fears are realized—and that hope will not fail.

Fourth: His promises to me are still real. I still have hope. He will sustain me, provide for me, keep me focused on the things that matter most, as I hear often from a few others around me.

I feel mostly for those who don’t have Him to hope upon. Whether it be those despairing over the results of the election; or even worse, those who have put their hope in someone other than Jesus. Because ultimately, he will fail. Only Jesus never fails.

The day for those folks has not yet come where they may need Him like I do today.

May their eyes be clear and their hearts be open when that day comes.