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by The Rev. Dr. Jim Antal
April/May 2009
Sisters and brothers: there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of people who live within a few miles of where we sit this morning who would never imagine that a church like the United Church of Christ exists.
That’s one of the things I say almost every Sunday morning to the UCC churches I preach in across the Conference. And then I add, “Those seekers need the blessings you have to offer.”
Am I just making this up? Do we believe that the mix of extravagant welcome, evangelical courage, ongoing revelation and prophetic hopefulness that distinguishes the United Church of Christ is widely unknown, generally unexpected and eagerly desired?
Let’s begin with “widely unknown” and let’s start in our own pews.
When I’m in a local church, and I speak about the distinguishing marks of the UCC, members sometimes seem a bit surprised. Some reply, “I’ve never thought of it that way.” Or if I share the words so many of our congregations hear every Sunday, an elaboration on, “Wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!” some respond “I’ve not heard it put that way before.”
Our first opportunity is to be sure that each time we gather to offer the Good News of God’s redemptive love, that we also help our people to understand and experience our distinctive understanding of that Good News: All are welcome. All are gifted and called. God is still speaking. And the kingdom is now, if only we recognize it.
If these core messages are sometimes unfamiliar to our members, it’s a sure thing that they are widely unknown in the neighborhood.
When a guest walks into one of our churches and hears “Wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!” ...and not only that, but the people in the pews respond to them with joy and enthusiasm, the guest leaves with a sense of love and affirmation they likely did not expect.
What’s also unexpected is hearing that Jesus’ core message is inclusion (as Walter Bruggemann puts it) and not judgment. What’s also unexpected is that the community affirms that everyone is on a spiritual journey. Not only that, but people who are at different places on that journey may speak energetically to one another, not trying to persuade but to listen attentively and compassionately for the truth the other has to offer.
What I have been describing is eagerly desired. In a culture where community is crumbling, people want to be welcomed. In a culture ruled by ideological divides, people want a safe, accepting place where they can share with and listen to others who may take a different view towards scripture, or the world, or the role of the homeless shelter down the road. In a culture that separates the ‘haves’ from the ‘have nots’, people want a way to reach out, to manifest what one of our churches calls Matthew Ministry Opportunities (e.g. feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison).
What an opportunity God is giving us: to extend extravagant welcome, to reach out to our neighbors with evangelical courage, to listen attentively to what our Still Speaking God has to say, and to live in this time of economic trial with prophetic hopefulness. As we respond to this opportunity, God’s mission, and our ministry, will flourish.