The human body is a perpetual, moving machine that never stops even when it is at rest. Every part has it’s place and some parts have it’s own time and function, even at rest. As followers of Christ, as the “body of Christ”, we too have individual and corporate parts that play key roles in building up the kindom of God. Even at rest, we are still accomplishing something, our prayers, our meditations, our thoughts if directed towards the building of the kindom all play a key role in keeping the body of Christ healthy and active.
This week, in my second post, I want to reflect on our call to action and address how little steps towards growth can re imagine how we do church.
I have always been called to peace and justice. I grew up in the shadows of it as I heard about our Benedictine Sisters holding peace rallies when I was younger. I watched my grandmother engage in hours of volunteer work in the community and later I would go on to study social work at Gannon University. Much of my work there included work with the Center for Social Concern where I got hands on, live engagement of social justice in action. I did my internship at a homeless shelter. I was trained in Catholic Social Justice. Dorothy Day was present in many lessons I learned.
I found the Methodist Church after I left the Catholic Church and what really stood out for me was the emphasis on taking the word of God outside of the walls of the church and the emphasis on social justice. I have since as a pastor tried to encourage the church to think in this way.
We are a Mess
Our world is a mess right now, here in America, we are living in a weird time that looks unlike what our history has ever seen. I truly believe as Christians in America, we are having our Bonehoffer moment. It is imperative that in building the kindom of God, to strengthen the body of Christ, we must stand up for the poor and defenseless.
A small group at my church, Edinboro United Methodist Church recently committed to establishing a Reconciling Ministry group at our church. We are first in this geographic region to do so. The Reconciling Ministries Network is an organization within the United Methodist Church that advocates for the inclusion of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in church policies and practices. Founded in 1984, it aims to create welcoming congregations for LGBTQ+ individuals and promote reconciliation between the church and the LGBTQ+ community.
Our foundational statement for this ministry within the church reads as this:
“The Mosaic Reconciling Ministry is part of the community of Doubters, Dreamers and Disciples at Edinboro United Methodist Church. We celebrate God’s give of diversity and value the wholeness made possible in community and equally shared and shepherded by all. We welcome and affirm people of every gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, who are also of every age, race, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, level of education and family structure, and of every economic, immigration, marital and societal status, and so much more. We acknowledge that we live in a world of profound social, economic, and political inequities. As followers of Jesus, we commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice and pledge to journey in solidarity with all who are marginalized and oppressed”
As a pastor, when I came back to Pennsylvania from my time in Ohio, I did a lot of small group ministry work and we focused heavily on how to embody the Acts 2 church. The Acts 2 Church refers to the early Christian community described in the Book of Acts in the New Testament, known for its strong sense of community, shared resources, and devotion to teaching, prayer, and fellowship. This model emphasizes genuine relationships and collective worship, reflecting the teachings and practices of the early believers. To be a church at the time Acts was written meant taking risk. To be a Christian in general meant taking risk.
For our churches to grow and to become genuine placeholders in the public square, we must stay relevant to the needs of our community. People are not coming to church because they are unfaithful, instead, there is a lack of relevance and belonging. By establishing ministry groups like Reconciling Ministries in our churches, we open the availability of belongingness.
Living Out the Beatitudes: The Church as Christ’s Presence
For churches, being the presence of Christ means living out the call of the Beatitudes and bearing witness to those not seen in our communities. Bearing Witness in our Communities
One of the ways we strive to live out the Beatitudes is by intentionally creating spaces where all are seen, valued, and empowered to participate fully in the life of the church. The teachings of Jesus call us to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be merciful, and to be peacemakers. In our context, this means listening to the stories of those who have been marginalized and advocating for their full inclusion. We see our ministry not just as a calling within the walls of our church, but as a living, breathing witness to Christ’s love and justice in the world around us.
This means embracing humility, showing mercy, and seeking righteousness not just within the walls of our church but in our daily interactions and community engagement. We are called to comfort those who mourn, to hunger and thirst for justice, and to be peacemakers in a world often divided by fear and misunderstanding. In doing so, we reflect Christ’s love and compassion, becoming a beacon of hope and belonging for all people.
To Close
The world needs a change. To be Christian is to be radical – not flipping over tables radical, but radical in the way Jesus stood up and stood out for the poor and marginalized. To be radical is to on the side of Jesus at the cross, not on the side of Romans who executed him. We must make Christ great again and this means standing on the side of love. It means being comfortable with discomfort and saying the things Jesus would have said – for the better of society. As we remember King tomorrow and we think about how we respond to our dictatorship in America, love must be at the heart of it all. Not violence, but a quiet resistance and defiance to Caesar.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In