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June 21, 2010
The Story of Us
This blog post was produced during our 2010 Leaders in Ministry Conference in Boston, MA
Even as this conference comes to a close, I still have trouble figuring out what FTE wants with me and for that matter, why they chose me (a common story I think many of us share). But I think it might have something to do with this:
I spent the past year working with two very conservative, rigid thinking students from the Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Every now and then, I would share some of my journey of choosing the right seminary with them. When I told them I had come across a professor of New Testament who was Jewish, their mouths dropped. “She’s a heretic!” they declared. You can imagine for yourselves their reactions when I revealed that I was going to a divinity school that just named a new female dean!
I knew there were differences. It was very clear that there were divisions between our practices and understanding but we still served the same God. We went out to Mexican restaurants together, we met strangers on the street and somehow we grew to love each other.
I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived in Boston, but what I found was something incredible. Through these past four days, I think I have discovered who we are. We are Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant. We are Methodist, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Mennonite, and yes, even a few of us crazy Baptists. We come from every racial and ethnic background, and from all corners of the United States. And I have good news: we are still here. We have not burned down the dormitory we are staying in. We have not initiated the second Inquisition or a new Crusade. We have come together in the spirit of God by finding a way to worship, learn from one another, and love each other, even though we are so different.
When I think about the future of the church, I think of all of us dancing in the park on our final night together. The band was playing and like any good Baptist would, I wanted to dance. I’ve found that when we dance, we don’t judge or make fun of other people’s moves. We teach new steps and we laugh graciously, even when we stumble. We don’t seclude ourselves and make up some dance on our own. Strangers and friends walk by and we invite them to dance right beside us. Dancing is about community. Dancing is about reveling in the joy of one another and celebrating the divine tapestry that is God’s handiwork. I believe that our church should look something like our dance circles; a community of joy surrounding the heart of Jesus and growing ever wider.
A Baptist preacher once proclaimed that the Southern Baptist Convention was God’s last and only hope for saving the world. But if this fellowship, this beloved community, has shown me anything it is that God’s last and only hope does not lie in one denomination. It does not lie in our perception that we are more right than someone else. It does not lie in our capability to prove we are more biblical or less heretical than anyone else. Maybe God’s last and only hope lies in our ability to get along. Maybe God’s hope for us is that despite our deep roots and rich traditions, we can find the grace and humility to love one another. Because when everyone is dancing in the circle and when they are filled with joy indescribable, others cannot help but join in.
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