Good morning…
Amid the turmoil of a powerful pandemic, years of racial injustice, and economic and political upheaval, how are you and I to be the church when many church doors are closed? As the living body of Christ in our hurting world, where do we begin?
Refreshing young artist Danielle Coke brings to life Fredrick Buechner’s famous quote. Might we begin to change the world, to truly be the church, by asking “God, what stirs my deep gladness?”
Unpacking this powerful prayer more completely, remember the acronym we met in our recent post, Be G.L.A.D.? Here is a practical starting point to ponder.
G – God, what makes me grateful today?
L – Lord, what am I learning today?
A – Christ, what am I accomplishing today?
D – Holy Spirit, what delights me today?
As we unpack the answers to these stimulating questions with our Heavenly Father, our genuine gladness will rise up, taking us by the hand, guiding us, step by step, into the center of the world’s deep hunger. All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence (Ephesians 1:20-23, MSG).
All the energy needed to change the world issues from Christ, who speaks and acts through our deep gladness, filling everything with God’s healing presence. Intimately intertwined with Christ and the church, we begin to change the world: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, NIV).
…Sue…
P.S. Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash
