Sisters in Spirit is a series of blog posts by a group of women who felt that a spiritual perspective was lacking from the steady stream of news and information that flowed through their daily lives. They each agreed to carve out a space on their blogs on a monthly basis for a spiritual conversation.
The topic this month is: the Christian community.
Oh, Christians. We need a new marketing/PR team. Our worst examples are getting the most attention, and what a fool they make of all of us.
You won’t read in the news of the team of Christian volunteers in downtown Denver who work their fingers to the bone every day, packing as many food boxes for the hungry as they can. The line wraps around the block most mornings.
We are too busy defining rape.
You won’t see a Time feature on the Christian nonprofit in Colorado whose mission is to repurpose used medical equipment that would otherwise be destroyed. They see these instruments are delivered to hospitals in need worldwide. They save lives, not by evangelizing, but by doing good deeds.
We are too busy debating our own needs.
There likely won’t be a documentary on the team of Christian women in the US who’ve decided to make it their priority to adopt children with HIV. Because someone needs to be the advocate for the least of these – and at the expense of their own great heartbreak, they’ve taken on the task.
We are too busy being violent.
My community in Christ isn’t an exclusive club. There are no monthly fees or restrictions. I take my direction from the top:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” — John 13:34-35
As long as our community of faith continues to act superior and exclusive, we will fail the ultimate commandment — be loving. And while on this soap box, this means be loving to homosexuals. To felons. To the cranky neighbor who plays his music too loudly. To the uncle who makes you question your genes. To Dick Cheney. (God obviously has a sense of humor.) To modern day literal and figurative prostitutes, lepers and widows. To your personal Pharisees.
{And to be clear, Jesus didn’t say be tolerant or condescending. He said be LOVING. Shake it up. We all have groups we aren’t so loving to. You’ve got the internal tools to follow this commandment. Now is the time to get on the love train. Yeah. Even Akin, who I’d like to legitimately punch in the face with some love this week.}
God is love. This is my faith. The world is my community. There is a lot of work to do.
~Kelli
I hope you continue this conversation by reading and commenting other perspectives on Christianity with my other Sisters in Spirit. Become part of the conversation:
Rebekah is a blogger, amateur photographer, and missions volunteer with Adventures in Missions. A lifetime of being a pastor’s kid, attending church regularly, and a private Christian school education gave her a lot of knowledge about the nuances of theology without a lot of faith. Now she’s trying to figure out how faith and theology applies to her relationships and daily life. You can find her online at www.honeysucklelife.com.
Sarah is municipal attorney, mom to a toddler boy, and United Methodist’s pastor’s wife. (She does not play the organ.) She is a life-long Missouri girl with a heart for hospitality and social justice. Sarah enjoys cooking, running, knitting and embroidery, reading, and playing in the sprinkler. Sarah blogs at www.beautyschooldropout.net
Bianca is a newlywed Navy wife from the great state of Texas (where she coincidentally currently resides), and she and her husband are expecting their first child in late summer. She has a passion for serving others, asking hard questions and sharing The Gospel with both her words and actions. Bianca loves Jesus, her hubs, authentic friendships, traveling, making lists of all kinds, and trying new recipes which she blogs about on BecomingBianca.com.