http://www.journeyoflyle.com

I’ve been a bit under the weather for the past few days, and today rather than focusing on the work I should be doing, ie that related to what I was missing, i found myself thinking and reflecting about Community of Christ. About my Call and more. Recently Community of Christ presented some new documents regarding the church, who we are etc. As I went over these again I paused and came to wonder on various things. The focus of what follows is about the section in the basic beliefs regarding “the church” and thoughts that came to mind.  (See http://www.cofchrist.org/ourfaith/faith-beliefs.asp about half way down the page).

This section ends with the following “we are called to be a prophetic people, proclaiming the peace of Jesus Christ and creating communities where all will be welcomed and brought into renewed relationship with God, and where there will be no poor.” The emphasis is mine, for that is what kept standing out to me and making me think. It is a core aspect of who we are and our eternal call. It is an essential part of the cause, hope… of Zion, Zionic community, the peaceable community…. to which we strive and yet something that at times is so far away. Even attempts to reach it, at times seem to move away from it, at least within the church.

Perhaps part of the issue is what does “all will be welcomed” mean? Perhaps some skirt around the issues of the complexity by… “a place where all are greeted and we say we want you here.”  But are call is for something more, something deeper. Welcome as in accepted, belonging, needed, cared for, respected, honored, participatory… The question then is how do we get to this stage. We say we believe in the worth of all peoples, and are called to embrace the diversity of creation and yet we hold different standards for different people, we don’t always embrace the wonders of diversity, we try to hold those called by the Holy One to some weird set of culturally based standards formed in a time when we understood less about the Holy’s creation, had less encounter with the wholeness of the Holy’s creation.  Or when we try as a corporate body to move in such a way to embrace the growing of our understanding, and the following of how the Holy is calling us, we sometimes do so in harsh, quick and “If your not with us, we’ll make you be with us or you can go take a hike, or…” and not finding pathways that allow for movement while honoring who they are and where they are in their understandings. Other times we see connections between somethings and disregard them… so my question in the end is can the church called to make these welcoming communities find a way to truly be such a community itself, or will the communities be outside of the church. That is due to the administrative, political, governmental… structures of the church is it possible for it to truly exist in a way that is welcoming to all, respectful to all, honoring of all, or by nature  of that structure some always feel unwelcome and often who they feel unwelcomed by also feel unwelcomed as well?

Can we find a way to: remove legislation, administrative policies and statements, and not replace them? To just be? When it comes to priesthood calls should it not be “Is the Holy One calling them? Are they willing to embrace the call? Is the community willing to embrace and share in that calling?” and if all three are yes allow the ordination to transpire, rather than further going “but this statement here, or this policy or this world conference resolution…. so no we can’t ordain them”

Can we find a way when the beliefs of two individuals are at complete odds to just be, to love and honor one another and still be in community, or is the structure of the church such we can form external community where yes that can be but internally it depends on the issue, and the degree of separation between various views?

Can we be a place where two people who have an argument can still come and truly find reconciliation and healing, or where they will forever be at odds and not speak with one another?

I hope the answer is that eyes someday Community of Christ will truly be Community of Christ, will truly be a zionic community that is part of a larger zionic community that includes all of creation… That is what I strive for, but I fear some are stubborn, and that when we encounter stubbornness we tend to be stubborn toward their stubbornness, and push through rather than listening, dwelling, and growing, either that or we refuse to push at all, and end up becoming stale and indifferent… and stop working toward the day of full restoration, reconciliation and healing of all of creation.

Peace,

Lyle II