Last week I reminded us of the
ancient Christian word to describe the Trinity: perichoresis,
which literally means “with dancing” or “dancing around.” I suggested that it
is the character and nature of God’s personhood to be a unified Self and in eternal Relationship. I further
suggested that, as those created in the image of this Trinitarian Fellowship of
One, it is our eternal character and
nature to express our humanity in relationship with God, self, others and the
creation. Simply put: relationship is the core of our faith in worship and in
prayer, in compassion and in mission, in who we are and how we live together in
community.
Let me repeat that last thought:
the God who eternally dances as Triune Fellowship of One teaches us who we are
and how we live together in community, which means we are never fully and truly
our Self unless and until we are fully and truly in relationship with others.
Conversely, we are never fully and truly in community unless and until we are
fully and truly our Self.
“So,
Brad, what does this mean for our lives as followers of Jesus?” Thanks for
asking.
There is a need in our churches,
communities and nation to learn to speak the truth in love to one another, as
Paul exhorted the Ephesians (Ephesians 4:15), as well as seek the interests of
others as Paul spoke to the Philippians (Philippians 2:4). For example:
·
When a fellow church member expresses a sour
opinion about your pastor (organist, custodian, another member, et. al.) with
which you don’t agree, do you go along to get along, or do you say, “I hear you
but actually have a different perspective I’d like to share. Would that be okay
with you?”
·
When in the midst of a Session meeting and the
debate gets “robust” and “enthusiastic” around a particular idea, are you able
to say, “I like x, y, and z about your idea but have concerns about a, b, and
c. I’d love to hear you say more about these concerns and how you think this
idea will address them.”
When addressing
politics with a friend or colleague – left to right or right to left – can you
speak the truth in love without descending to the level of the “politics of
personal destruction” and express your concerns with both passion and compassion, both true to your Self and respectful
of others?
My young adult son has a saying, “You be you, dad.” (Usually this is said when I have done something that reinforces his image of me as a dork.) I want to expand on my son’s quaint saying to express what it means for us to live as those created in the image of the Triune God who dances eternally: “You be you, I’ll be me, but let’s us be us together.” Might this be an ecclesiology on which we can build healthy practices for congregational ministry?
of others?
My young adult son has a saying, “You be you, dad.” (Usually this is said when I have done something that reinforces his image of me as a dork.) I want to expand on my son’s quaint saying to express what it means for us to live as those created in the image of the Triune God who dances eternally: “You be you, I’ll be me, but let’s us be us together.” Might this be an ecclesiology on which we can build healthy practices for congregational ministry?
Grace and peace,
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