Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. – Jesus in John 14:27
Dear Caldwell,
As people of faith, we inevitably straddle two spaces – the one our faith defines and the other that is shaped by our broader society. Two important subjects lie in the tension between those spaces – freedom and privacy. Where does one person’s freedom begin and end? Who defines what government should treat as private and personal? What freedom and peace do we have in God that the world does not offer?
Today, many are digesting news about the intent of some, if not most on the Supreme Court, to overturn standing law concerning a woman’s right to choose what she does with her body. It will, no doubt, roil public conversation between now and this summer, when the court may rule on whether to uphold or overturn Roe V. Wade. It already roils many I know.
I cannot begin to really know how this issue feels to those it mostly closely concerns – women. I am far from qualified when it comes to knowledge or informed opinions about reproductive rights. I’m no constitutional scholar.
But I am a husband and a father of two daughters, and I know they are affected when a narrow group signals its intent to defy the will of the majority of people in the U.S. What’s more, I am deeply disappointed in the hypocrisy of some who want to control when a child is born and then fail to care sufficiently for that child after it is born, to say nothing of shaping the law to do violence to mothers.
So once again, as people of faith, we are left with the challenge of living in the world but not being of the world. The clash of law/government and faith will always cause damage to some, and mitigating that damage may seem like it is far beyond our control. How do we make our way through the world in these days as ambassadors of the One who came into the world to heal it? How do we sustainably and urgently fight for justice amid its frustratingly long arc and extend love to those who are way beyond waiting?
In other words, what does discipleship mean amidst today’s battles over freedom, privacy and “rights,” at least according to secular law?
This Sunday we will take a look at what Jesus told his followers about discipleship. Jesus made it clear that, as the letter of James later said, faith without works is dead. We build our faith on the strong foundation of Christ’s life and teachings and then we take our faith out into the world. One without the other is lacking. We build our lives on what we know about God’s love, guidance and purpose just as a builder builds a house on a strong foundation.
Today, for many, that world is less welcoming, familiar, friendly or embracing than our faith tells us it should be, and we face structural and institutional realities that seem to stand in the way of any near-term change. But every day, we are given the chance to greet the stranger, pick up the fallen, encourage the weak and love our neighbor. That is the business of discipleship on an individual level, and it is within our control when broader forces may seem beyond our control. We are given the chance to be community to each other in these hard days and to teach discipleship to others, whether we do so with words or not.
So, even amidst deep discouragement, we can give thanks that Chris Idol came through a heart procedure well today. We can lift up Lynda Byrd, as she continues to feel unwell and awaits a corrective procedure in June.
We can put our hands, feet and hearts to work to advance both love and justice through the minsitries of your church and so many other avenues near at hand – by clicking here to honor Johnny Johnson and march in Saturday’s AIDs Walk (or financially supporting it) or volunteering or supporting a breakfast at Caldwell May 19 to support the mental health of our educators, who have borne the brunt of the pandemic almost as heavily as our healthcare workers.
We can lift up member Tiana Scott Staber (and husband, Paul), Doreen Byrd’s daughter, who is pregnant and faces weeks of bedrest at the hospital; we can lift up Cynthia and Dawson Hancock, as Cynthia’s parents encounter illness and health challenges; we can pray for our high schoolers taking AP and final exams; and, we can celebrate with those who are graduating, including our newest member, Allison Blackwell, who joined on Sunday and graduates Saturday from Queens. We can drop a card in the mail to Kathryn and Burke Resisinger, whose grief from the death of their toddler daughter feels crushing.
I realize none of my words or these actions may assuage the pain so many feel, for all sorts of reasons. So let me give you the words Jesus gave his disciples: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
In Christ,
John