Sharing the vision at Washington Mennonite Church

Recently I shared the vision God has given has become a reality and God is doing something in the city. Also something exciting is happening within the Mennonite church. What is taking place is a spreading of the traditional Anabaptist values to people not previously affiliated with Mennonites. This is exciting as individuals are coming together to try and make meaning as to what living for Christ will look like in the twenty first century.

I had the opportunity this past weekend to travel to Kalona, Iowa and spend time with students at Iowa Mennonite School, pastors and mission representatives at Washington Mennonite Church, and preach at First Mennonite Church of Iowa City. What I observed in my conversations with people I met was a passion to love God and neighbor, and to be peacemakers earnestly seeking to manifest God’s shalom.

This was my first trip to this region and certainly not my last. I will travel in a couple weeks to Freeman, South Dakota, then to Rochester, Minnesota in late October, and finally to Nebraska in mid-November. I will be sharing God’s vision with Peace for the City and how this organization desires to help those who have suffered trauma, find healing and grow in their relationship with Christ.

Would you pray for Peace for the City that God would continue to heal through our programs and serve people on the margins? Also would you consider making a financial contribution so this organization can become sustainable? You can make a commitment to monthly support or a one time gift.

Morning Chapel--Iowa Mennonite School

What does it mean to be God’s people? If Christ wants us to be disciples how can we live out the restorative vision God has for humanity and creation. Jesus said, ”A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35). The prophet Jeremiah boldly told Israel that to advocate for the oppressed is a sign that we know God (Jeremiah 22:15-16). To love God and our neighbor means that we must have a relationship with both. In times of suffering we must be in solidarity with those in crisis. On Sunday August 29 I had the opportunity to do just that. In one week two kids were killed in North Minneapolis: Quantell Braxton 14, and Ray’Jon Gomez 13, victims of senseless violence. From Death to Life and Madd Dads organized a march through the streets and held a vigil at the corner of 17^th and Morgan, the site where Quantell Braxton died.

How can the church be the church to a hurting world? The answer I believe is seeing the infinite worth of every human being and refusing to participate in violence. To be in solidarity is to love our neighbor. Jon Sobrino notes:

…something good happens when human beings love to the very end, with the greatest love. That kind of love is also necessary in the struggle against evil. By itself it cannot achieve liberation from evil, but without it neither science, technology, reason, raw materials, nor money—to say nothing of weapons—has the power to eradicate evil, to pull it up at the roots. In the language of tradition, without that kind of love there is no redemption.

Only Christ-centered love will overcome the principalities and powers in the spiritual realm. Only Christ-centered love will heal the suffering. Only Christ-centered love has had the power to change the course of human history for the better.

I had the pleasure of spending Good Friday and Easter Sunday this year with Mary Johnson, founder of From Death to Life. It has taken me a month to process my time with her and the story she tells. In 1993 her son was murdered. Years later she met her son’s killer in prison and eventually forgave him. While this is not unheard of, Mary went one stop further and adopted him as her son. They speak regularly about forgiveness and how it breaks the cycle of violence. After my time with her I shared this story with others. Every reaction was the same: I don’t think I could do that…oh how difficult that would be…

I agree that would be more painful than anything I could imagine. What I realized it that without the power of the Gospel working in our lives this type of act would be impossible. This is precisely what God has done for us on Calvary. Romans 5:8 says, God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He died for us, forgave our sins and adopted us as his children.

As I think about restoration and what it means for us to be the church, my prayer is that we would have thousands of Mary Johnson’s showing the world what Christ is like; forgiving our enemies and choosing the power-under option to violence.

Can people change? Are we tied to one reality for the rest of our lives, or is there hope for us? Too often we see the Bible as nothing more than a set of rules. If I just do this, or abstain from that, my life will be better. Perhaps we should look at it from a slightly different perspective. Instead of asking why isn’t God doing what I want or a particular behavior is not producing a particular outcome, maybe the question we should ask is what is God doing overall in salvation history? How well are we lining up what we want with what God is doing? Last summer I read The Naked Anabaptist by Stuart Murray and was intrigued by his thoughts concerning restoration. He notes:

The biblical vision of universal restoration (Acts 3:21) includes peace between God and humanity; enemies reconciled; disintegrated personalities healed; weapons of war decommissioned and transformed into agricultural implements; injustice and oppression removed; communities flourishing; creation liberated from bondage; and the abolition of sickness and death.

What does this mean for the church today? How do we become Kingdom-like peacemakers? What part could we play in removing injustice and oppression in our world? In what way might the church help others be liberated from all kinds of bondage?