Love Beyond Fear

My re-worded question: What are we learning that’s most important, and what we need going forward?

• The importance of cultivating individual spiritual practice into the rhythm of daily life. Times like this can expose, for many, their co-dependence on church programs. How can we continue to emphasize, teach, and help people experience intentional spiritual practices in their own life of faith as a foundation that enhances and strengthens their participation “at” church rather than depend entirely on it?
• Authentic Christian Community: This idea reinforces our need for Formation Groups and intentionally creating opportunity to deepen a significant group of spiritual friendships. While the “content” of the groups I have been leading has been rich, the desire for people to be able to connect deeply and honestly has consistently been the most significant part. During several meetings, we have felt the Spirit lead us to put the “content” down and simply reflect on the ways we are experiencing life and God during these times (both the struggling and inspiring ways).
• Questions about the character and nature of God, and our identity in Christ. Of course times like this lead many to ask why? There was a great article written by NT Wright titled, “Christianity Offers No Answers About the Coronavirus. It’s Not Supposed To” which sparked lots of debate from Christians and non-Christians alike (most from people on both sides who obviously didn’t even read the article). Its been really interesting to step back and read or listen to people’s reflections with an ear for thinking about who God is. Our language, often very subtly, can create (in my opinion) a deeper distrust of God, sometimes even when were trying to put helpful or hopeful perspective on things. Given our focus on hymns recently, the debate of the “In Christ Alone” lyrics sums up two perspectives I see framing theology around this pandemic: “the wrath of God was satisfied” vs “the love of God was magnified.” Our theology of the cross speaks powerfully into our very identity as children of God and our understanding of God in the midst of tragedy (our God who suffers with and overcomes vs the god who “controls” how suffering plays out). How can we help facilitate deeper theological reflection and offer people opportunities to more fully explore the ways their worldview impacts their understanding and TRUST  in the character and nature of our God.
• The Importance and Gift of Lament:  I had been sensing for a couple of years that I needed to introduce people to the appropriateness and value of lament, especially as found in Scripture. Doing so could have better prepared and gifted people with deeper opportunity to connect with God and each other during this time. In our Western world, we so often just want to put a positive spin on things, and prayers of Lament can help us find greater freedom in our connection with God, even as we are venting, arguing, “cursing” or questioning! In authentic payers of lament we are actually making a choice to trust God with our whole self, and in doing so the Spirit often opens our hearts to the co-suffering nature of God with us. I have been so thankful for the gift of the Psalms, poetry and music during this time which allow for greater expression of reality and a deep sense of the Still Small Voice of Hope that dwells with us in and through it all — helping us trust that tragedy and hardship may suck, but it doesn’t have to be wasted. Lament gives space to allow our “Great Allower” to Love us in the most vulnerable, messy places.

Thanks for “listening.”

In Christ (our Ever-Present and Living Word, of all Help, Hope and Healing),

JIM