05-05-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
May 5, 2024
A number of years ago, we did a church-wide study of a book by Rev. Michael Slaughter. The book was entitled “Dare to Dream,” and it challenged us to dream a God-sized dream for ourselves and for our church. Recently, I came across a quote by Rev. Slaughter. He said,

Imagine a safe space where we can be honest enough to work on our "stuff." In this place, we find the freedom to tell the truth of who we really are on the inside. We can move out of fear and into trust. We can begin to truly live and to make a difference in God's created purpose, empowered to leave the safe spaces to practice authentic love in the dangerous places of life.

For me, that is one of the more beautiful purposes of the church. My hope is for us to create a safe place where people can be honest about their “stuff” and begin to tell the truth to those who will not judge but love and encourage. There are high expectations for those who call themselves followers of Jesus, and there should be. But I wonder if the church could do a better job of helping people find their best selves. In that experience of knowing who we are as beloved members of God’s family, I imagine we could do a better job of striving toward those high expectations that come with following Jesus.

Through the power of your Spirit, O God, help us to create a safe space from which healthy and committed people are able to do some of the more challenging, even dangerous tasks associated with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen.