Safe Space
How do we treat those who don't believe as we do?
Do we understand and accept them as they are? Do we try to convince them, so they will change? Do we fear and hate them?
And have mercy on some who are wavering; save others by snatching them out of the fire; and have mercy on still others with fear, hating even the tunic defiled by their bodies. - Jude 17:22-23
Today we have a reading from the Epistle of Jude, believed to be a servant of Christ who sought to bring people back to the reality of judgment as he saw it.
If you don't change and follow Christ, you will not be saved.
If we believe that, as many do, what do we do about those who don't believe? Do we accept them as they are, seek to change them, or curse them as damned?
I guess what it boils down to is a question of motive. Why do we care?
That sounds nasty, I know, but if I care about you because you are in danger and I want you to be saved, then I probably feel I am justified to try to get you to change.
On the other hand, if I am pointing out your faults and call attention to your ways as examples of evil, how am I helping you?
In our church, we shy away from looking for the evil among us, especially when it comes to pointing out flaws in others, people like us and people not like us.
When we share the Gospel of Christ, it is a message of acceptance and repentance. God chose to come to us as sinners, seeking to save us from ourselves, from the influences of this world that will steer us away from Him.
It is a simple message, but one we could easily corrupt if we fail to stay focused on the motive. It is God's call to all of us to live in concert with Him. It is not up to us to judge who fits the model of salvation and who does not.
So, what do we do when we encounter someone who has strayed like a lost sheep?
We go and find them where they are and invite them home. If they choose to come, they will find kinship and love. If they choose to stay away, we cannot force them.
It is a choice each of us makes.
But if we set good examples of living in love, and others outside the circle see we are accepting and not hateful or fearful, they will come.
Maybe we should remind ourselves of that as we point out all the injustice in the world. We may be spreading the wrong message, one of division and hatred, rather than love.
I know many disagree, feeling it is our duty to speak against what is wrong in the world. If that is their calling, let them do that.
Mine is to create a safe space, a loving community gathering that accepts all, welcomes all and shares the love of God with them through words, actions and joyful, positive encounters.
If you would like to take a break from the hostilities, come on down and sit a while. We could use the company.
More to come...