I grew up a cultural Christian. I was born into a Community of Christ family. My grandparents were deeply devoted to the church. My great-grandfather and great-great grandfather served the church for decades generations before. The ideas of God, faith, and finding my testimony were part of my upbringing. I felt God in church, heard incredible testimonies from old church members, and knew many who talked with humble surety about God. I went to reunion every year and had indescribable spiritual experiences at youth camps. Growing up in the church, I came to know the love of God first hand. But, it wasn’t until I studied scripture with others outside my church that I was truly converted to Jesus. Before, I knew Jesus was somehow connected to the Spirit I felt and came to know in the church. But, when I finally studied the scriptures with others different from me, I encountered the Jesus who could save the world. It happened when I read the account of Jesus’ feet washing in John 13.
I was in seminary studying with people who didn’t live the same life as I did. Most, on the surface, were very different from me. There was Anthony, the gifted dancer, who decided to go to seminary and follow his heart and get an M.Div, even though he was slowing dying with HIV. There was Sharon, the electrician, who was streetwise and used to being disrespected because she was poor, black, female, and a lesbian. There was Mary, who was spending four years and thousands of dollars in seminary although her Orthodox church would never ordain her because she was a woman. There was Laura, the Mennonite, who lived in community with my family and I, who taught me incredible generosity. And Gloria, who grew up on the south side of Chicago and knew white people only as authority figures, hopelessly selfish, vindictive, and evil until she was an adult.
Together, we shared devotions, studied the bible, and talked extensively. We read scholars with unpopular perspectives because they lived, ministered, and were members of unpopular communities. We read theologians who considered the bible in its setting: among the poor, among the people who the powerful label, won’t live near, and perennially blame. Reading Jesus’ feet washing in John 13 with Anthony, Sharon, Gloria, Mary and Laura took on brand new meaning for me. It became clear to me that if every leader of the world simply followed Jesus’ example: if they would just sup, bend down, and wash the feet of their friends and enemies, the world would be a radically different place. It would be so different, it wouldn’t be the world it is now. The world would be fundamentally changed in the most radical and transforming way. The world would be upside-down.
Two people stood out to me in John 13. As Jesus washed the feet of Judas, Jesus knew he was going to betray him (John 13:26-27). Was Judas confused? Did he simply misunderstand? Was he Jesus’ enemy? We don’t know. But, he would play the part of Jesus’ adversary. Jesus knew it, and washed and wiped his feet anyway.
Jesus’ interaction with Peter is also deep with meaning. Peter is the most visible and eager of the disciples. But, Peter had no idea what Jesus was doing. He first denied Jesus’ offer to wash his feet. But, Jesus compassionately, yet firmly, gave Peter a choice. Hearing it, Peter responded excessively, “Wash my feet and my hands and head as well!” (John 13:9) But, at the cross Peter would deny him again. (John 13:37-38) Jesus knowingly humbles himself before betrayal and failed loyalty.
Jesus’ feet washing was the culmination of his life and ministry. It was clearest statement of Jesus’ invitation, “Come, follow me.” The gospel of John has no Lord’s supper. This is it. In verse 14, Jesus states “Now that I have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” This is what Jesus is asking us to do in John. This is John’s version of “Do this in memory of me.”
Reading John 13 in this new community of Christ – with Laura, Gloria, Sharon, Anthony, Mary, and others – I found the savior the world was seeking. He was the same one we all were seeking. It wasn’t this or that version of Jesus. It wasn’t the Jesus of religion. I found the living Christ in John’s story of Jesus, the one who had the power to change the world and all of history.
What if Jesus led? What would our world be like? The other question is, would we follow?….or rather, will we?
Reblogged from: Herald Magazine’s “Connect / Engage / Inspire”
Jerry Wiley, a retired teacher from Independence, Missouri, helps a youngster at a Jesus and Me session.
by DAVID BROCK
Presiding Evangelist
The apex for most athletes is their late 20s or early 30s. The genius of scientific research and creative invention is often in the first half of life. The best wage-earning years for many are in their 50s or 60s.
Our economic, political, sporting, and social organizations gain a competitive edge by training, hiring, and employing the right people at the right time to receive maximum output. That’s how we survive and achieve. That’s how we win.
There’s a lot to be said for such a system. Productivity is a priority. But we may need new measures when we speak of it in terms of the gospel and sacramental living.
I hear the elderly express guilt that they can’t do anymore. “I can’t give as much money as I used to.” “I can’t make as many home visits this year as I did last year.” “My hands are weak; my knees are feeble.” And I hear the bright person who suffers from schizophrenia lament how he burdens his family and provides little or no value to the world.
Without romanticizing harsh realities of disease and disorder, or the vulnerabilities of childhood and of aging, I uphold (No, I dare declare that God in Christ upholds) the possibility that the most “productive” are often the folk who are disabled, challenged, immature, or old.
Can we recalibrate our “productivity” scale to measure the value of the Down syndrome teen who arrives on a church campground and draws out the spirit of community in ways no other camper can? Can we place a productivity value on the actions of aged, cloistered Carthusian monks who’ve prayed for peace and healing of humanity decade upon decade? Can we calculate the productivity of the helpless and vulnerable newborn whose birth reunites an estranged family?
Recently, I visited some seniors at an assisted-living facility. I saw anew the impress of God as conveyed by Jan van Ruysbroek, a 14th-century mystic: “I no longer need the productivity of hands and feet you once could give. I want lives that ‘are more beautifully adorned and more nobly possessed when…interior exercises are added to those of the active life.’ I want you to give the world the productivity of becoming free from distracting absorption, from ‘restlessness of heart.’”
A sacramental life is a productive life; the most productive life. If we truly believe the good news we’ve got some redefining to do.
Does this message ring true with you? How? What will you do to respond?
As a youth minister, I tend to spend a lot of time around youth. Shocker, I know. What I did not realize was how much the youth watch what I do.
I am a smart aleck most days. As a young adult, I am searching for meaning, identity, and direction in my life. The choices I make are heavily influential for the youth. It is easy to acknowledge the little things, like if I curse then a youth might think it is okay to curse. But what about the tougher choices in life? Are we challenging ourselves to live a life founded on Christ?
This has become very real for me lately. I have found myself sitting on the steps of a congregation with a handful of youth one evening. This is a group not afraid to ask questions or make any comment on issues from sex to drugs and everything in between. The topics began rolling one after another. With every one found the eyes of these kids staring at me, waiting for my reaction, wanting to know what I thought.
We are young adults searching for our own paths, but we cannot deny the fact that we are being watched. It is not just youth watching us either. Our own peers and even those older than us are watching. They yearn for a voice to stand above the rest, sharing Christ not only through words but through actions. Are you living as an example?
John 14:5-6
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.””
We are Community of Christ. Community is working together to support the best interest of everyone. As young adults we have the powerful gift of influence. Are you willing to stand up and be unafraid to live a life founded on Christ so that others may have strength to do the same?
Check out PeacePathways at www.peace-pathways.org. This church affiliated organization aims to help us Pursue Peace on Earth by “creating pathways for justice and peace by connecting people, ideas, and actions.” Find info about the categories of peace: Personal, Interpersonal, Environmental, and World Peace. Connect with organizations that are already peace partners in this initiative.
The Mission Initiatives lay out a much clearer understanding of action for us as a body of Christ. This is what we do.
Being called to do these things is at most times humbling. I have moments where I sit in a room full of people sharing about what God has done in their lives and I wonder, how does this become sustainable? 
How do we take those small, individual experiences and create them into something that lasts longer than one moment? What would God look like 24/7? I read through the gospels and I listen to others share their “coming to Christ” moments. I even go back and read through my writings to understand my own journey from the most painful moments to the ones that are filled with laughter and happiness. I realized the greatest connections I have with God is when I shut my ego up and ask God for help.
It is not just letting God help me, but even inviting God into my life. Before I get out of my car after driving to a gathering, church or non-church, I stop everything and invite God to lead me in relationships with others or open me to what He has going on and how I can be involved.
In the end it all comes down to a single question: What are the foundations of your life, your relationships, your faith? Is it Christ?
1 Corinthians 3:11 shares with us, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.”
If you get a chance, you should read the rest of 1 Corinthians, chapter 3 also. As you engage in your prayer life, whether you have one or not, pray not just for the relationships you have, but ask that they may be founded on Jesus Christ.
Before we can do anything as a body of Christ, we must make sure that the foundation we each have laid in our lives is Jesus Christ. Then and only then will we be able to do what we do.
Check out Childhood Spirituality.
A terrific website for parents, caregivers and congregations!
Created by Monica Bradford, the site explores with depth and compassion the issue of childhood spirituality. Monica brings the wisdom of a faith-informed parent and the gifts of a teacher. This site is highly recommended by Jeri Lauren Lambert (Community of Christ Children and Family Ministries.) In addition, Monica Bradford is available for workshops on childhood spirituality. It is an ideal congregation or mission center event.
“The problem with our young adults is that they are lazy and non-committed”.
“Our young adults need to give more of themselves to our church”.
I wince each and every time I hear statements like this… So, I decided to share a story… Now which story? Should I talk about the countless young adults that keep the Chicago Mission Center youth program moving forward, volunteering countless effort and time towards the ministry of our youth? Should I talk about our young parents that invest their time and energy into our cell congregation with the hope that this can be a spiritual home for their family? Should I talk about our young adults that are going through the deep process of recovery holding on to a small hope that maybe there is something to this God and church family “thing”?
All of these are worth writing about. But I think I’ll share about Pat.
Pat has been a part of my life and our ministries since he was a 5th grader. Some could look at Pat’s life as one of struggle, constantly overcoming tragedy and lack of stability. What I admire about Pat, is that he does not dwell too long on his obstacles, instead he focuses on the blessings in his life and throws whatever he has towards rebuilding and strengthening his foundation.
As a young adult, he remains committed to our church and pays a high cost just for attending church. He makes very little money as he helps a family care for their children and both he and his girlfriend (Kristen) spend a large part of that money to pay for transportation just to get to and from our cell group worship. And the time they dedicate just for the chance to worship is inspiring… Here is a rough idea of the schedule to attend a cell service that starts at 3:00 PM.
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- Early morning (7 a.m. – 8 a.m.) get on an early train from WI to Chicago
- Wait in Chicago for the train to the suburbs (Noon – 1:00ish)
- Get picked up at the train station in the suburbs for 3:00 p.m. worship
- Get back on the train to Chicago (6 p.m. – 8 p.m.ish)
- Wait 2-4 hours in Chicago for the train back to WI
- Get back to WI after midnight, sometimes WAY after midnight
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Being a part of a church family is a HUGE commitment on Pat and Kristen’s end, costing them both precious time and money.
I hope they realize that their involvement in our church and our church family is appreciated and sacred.
You guys inspire us and are deeply loved.
How does your congregation support the mission initiatives? How do you Invite People to Christ, Abolish Poverty and End Suffering, Pursue Peace on Earth, Develop Disciples to Serve, and Experience Congregations in Mission? All five are needed to be true to the whole mission of Jesus Christ. We’d like to read about your ministries and consider giving them a voice in the Herald.
Send photos (one megabyte or larger; not taken by cell phones) and stories of how you, your congregation, or your mission center is carrying the mission initiatives into community. We’ll be waiting at the Herald.
Last month was a novel month for me. As you know, I flew to the mainland of Europe for the first time! I tried all kinds of new foods: borscht (a beet and cabbage soup), olie bolin (fried, sweet bread from the Netherlands, yum!), and Domino’s Pizza—Ukraine style. I saw all kinds of new things: Sinterklaas (like the U.S. Santa Claus, kinda), towering apartment buildings in Kiev, and real windmills from the Netherlands. And I spent some money…okay, a lot of money. Your money. (Thanks!)
Remember not so long ago when we all gave money to the designated giving project Places of Peace: Russia and Ukraine? The money that was raised goes to buying a space (an apartment, probably) for Sunday worships and International Friendship Club meetings in our Eurasia Mission Center. This past month, I traveled to Ukraine to see if we could spend some of that money!
We arrived on a Monday afternoon in a very chilly Kiev and immediately went to check out some apartments to buy. The first one was spacious, had a lot of character, and we loved it. We didn’t want to fall too in love with it, though, who buys the first place they see? We proceeded to look at apartments for the rest of the week, checking out all kinds of places, then going back to our office in Kiev, talking about pros and cons and what the apartment MUST have in order for it to work into all of our parameters. At the end of the week, it was official…we must have the first apartment or none at all! The decision made, we talked to the real estate agent, and then began to dream!
What could this apartment mean to our church in Kiev? In Ukraine? In all of Eastern Europe? It is an excellent meeting place, we could teach MEADS there, visiting guest ministers could stay there (as soon as we put in a shower, of course), and we now have space to put people when we grow and grow and grow! What an apartment! It is perfect for our needs!
More and more, I understand how blessed I am to have this new job. I get to see how money given to the church truly and honestly changes people’s lives. Thank you for your generosity. It makes a difference! I promise! I’ve seen it!
Finding Home.
Feb 16
Posted by ratchy
What I feel even more certain of now, is that “home” changes. It may not always be defined as where your family members live. But, is it truly just “where your heart is”? What if your heart is in more than one place? What if those places are on separate continents? Do you have to designate only one place as “home”? Is it possible to make a place your home if it doesn’t fit these criteria?
So if our physical and emotional homes change, can our spiritual homes change too?
As we grow and discover more about ourselves, we discover new truths, new paths to journey, and new ways of being. If we’ve felt we found a spiritual home in one place, one congregation, or one aspect of nature, what happens when that changes? What happens when the people we grew up with in our community change, or we discover a new direction for our lives? What happens when that old tree where we experienced God so many times all of a sudden gets torn down or replanted? Was it where the tree was that we found a spiritual home, or the tree itself? Will we ever find that connection somewhere else?
I think it is hard to rely on anything outside of our selves to be considered home. There are too many uncontrollable variables to be dependent on anything else for permanent grounding and expecting eternal contentment and connection from one specific place, or one group of people, or one unchanging idea. We have to be open to the possibility that these “homes”, although they may be our foundations, are not necessarily going to be in the same place, look the same, or feel the same, forever.
I think this can also apply within our church communities. Foundations and traditions are great building blocks to set us off from, but if we are so attached and too comfortable in these foundational homes that we refuse to grow from them or explore new territories of possibilities, then we will never be able to find contentment anywhere else. One day these foundations could fall to pieces – then what? And who knows what else is out there that we could be missing?!
Perhaps something to strive for (although I firmly admit this is idealistic) is: to know our selves and our God as intimately as we can, and to be confident enough to take that personal and spiritual strength with us wherever we go. Having that core strength and contentment with our selves; while allowing ourselves to be guided as we change as individuals, communities of Christ, and as our relationship with God changes; will help us learn, grow, and better adapt to each new “home” (literal or spiritual) that we find. So there will in fact be “no place like home”, because we are able to be at home with everyone and everywhere we go.
“We shape our dwellings, and afterwards our dwellings shape us” – Sir Winston Churchill
Where is your home? Where is your spiritual home? How will you cope if your definition of “home” changes? Are you confident enough in yourself and your relationship with God to be able to find a home no matter where you are? If not, what can you do to work towards that?
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Posted in YA Commentary
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Tags: Develop Disciples to Serve, faith, perspective, Spiritual Formation