What's Going On? There and Back Again
What’s Going On? There and Back Again
We were challenged to come up with a 30 second, a 2 minute and a 5-minute response to the question “How was your trip?” That is an excellent and challenging assignment. There are so many things we saw and experienced that it is hard to even put them into any words, let alone concise statements. I am glad that I will have a chance to share some of the content with you in future messages. I am also grateful for the fact that I can write you all at the same time since I can never manage to speak to each of you individually.
Here are five takeaways for me:
Wrestle. Many times Marty would put a historic situation in front of us and ask us what we would do. Often it was Jewish Christians living in Asia (as Turkey was then called) having to decide how to live in a culture with different gods and values. Change that to Reformed Christians in Canada and you can see that wrestling is something we need to do as well. When do we engage and participate to connect with our community and when do we stand apart to stand for Jesus?
Live love. Marty’s mantra was “the medium is the message” which applies to all the incredible displays of power shown by Greek and Roman political and religious leaders. Temples and theatres and stadiums and hospitals and schools were constructed to tell a story and that story was filled with life shaping beliefs (mostly about power). We have a similar collection of buildings that give a similar message. “Live love” is my summary of the medium that is the message of Jesus. When we collectively live as temples of the Holy Spirit who show the love of God as the dominant guide to our story, that counters the power message all around us. Live love are two simple words and one very hard way to show up consistently.
Context. (Not a new one for me). Seeing what Paul and John saw in Ephesus really does help us understand what they say in these places to the people there.
People in perspective. Spending almost two weeks with 40 new-to-us people is a lesson in itself. There was someone I spoke with while standing in the aisle of the airplane flying home that I wished I had connected with earlier. There were people we instantly bonded with and those with whom we needed to wade into relationship. Living with strangers helps you see how you are perceived or what impression you make on people. There were a few times I asked people, “Why did you choose to talk to me about this?” People are fascinating and marvelous and the privilege of connecting with them over a meaningful journey is a gift. I am pretty sure church is meant to be that kind of journey.
Lifelong learning. There were plenty of times that I could not get down in my notes all that I wanted. There were times when I could no longer take notes. As education often does, this trip made me mostly aware of how much I do not know. So I am thankful for Marty and so many who distill a breadth of knowledge into lessons. And I am committed to curating those lessons to share with you what seems most helpful and timely as we keep this life of learning going. I am also thankful that someone recorded almost every lesson and will send us an edited version.
Thankfulness. I guess this is really number six. I am thankful for the huge privilege of going on this trip, of meeting the people, of being able to share with you over time. But even more, this trip made me thankful anew for the privilege of knowing Jeus and participating in his mission to bring love, grace, justice and peace into this world. May we all be inspired to keep taking steps in that direction.
Thank you for all your support on this journey.
Pastor Erick