In last week’s Words to Ponder we talked about covenant commitment to pray for the
church in our membership vows. This week we are looking at the second covenant
commitment.
Lay Members, commit to
accept and exercise their responsibilities as the
body of Christ with their presence. The
General Board of Discipleship (GBD) of the United Methodist Church article says
our “commitment to presence
means we pay attention to the time and to the place we are at in the present
moment, which is actually a hard practice because people generally think about
the past or future. Yet our Christian commitment is to pay attention to the
present moment, while looking and listening for God's guidance. When we promise
"presence" to the congregation, we commit to be engaged to the place
and people who compose both the congregation and the community the congregation
serves. (http://www.gbod.org). - Attend worship weekly where you
are.
- Build deeper relationships with
people in the congregation and the community through regular participation
in a small group, fellowship opportunities, and service projects.
- Pay full attention to your location and to the people
you are with at church, at work or school, and at home.” (http://www.gbod.org).
The author believes it is difficult for humans to think in the
present because we tend to think only about the past or the future. I believe
this is especially true concerning our spiritual journey. Many Christians have
the ‘hell fire and brimstone’ teachings of their youth embedded in their minds.
They remember the preacher who induced fear with sermons that condemned them to
eternal damnation for their sins as they called them forward to recite the
sinner’s prayer. Once this public act was accomplished; prayer spoken and
Christ accepted as Lord and Savior, they return to life as usual believing their
eternal home to be secure. With their eternal future now secure they live out
their lives waiting for their heavenly reward. One concern I have with this analogy
is that it turns Christianity into a wait for death lifestyle. Christianity is
not about waiting for eternity. Christianity it is about bringing heaven to
earth, it is about living for and with God in the here and now.
Salvation is a lifetime experience, an eternal journey that begins
in this life. It is a daily occurrence of growing and being in relationship
with the living God through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not about doing one thing at a single
moment in history so we can make it to heaven when we die; it is about living
out the heavenly experience everyday wherever God has placed us.
The church is just one of the many ‘means of grace’ provided
by God to help us fulfill our baptismal and confirmation commitment to be
Christ in the world. The Lay member, as the
body of Christ commits to be present not to help the church, but to be the
church in the world as a reflection of God’s love for our neighbors. When Christians are present in the body of
Christ it not only helps to transform the world, it helps disciples (members of
the body of Christ) grow in their relationship with God. It is a win – win
situation. When we live out our faith God’s love is shared and others are drawn
to God, they grow in their relationship with God and we grow in our faith and
relationship with God. Heaven on earth
becomes a reality and the world is transformed one person at a time. In Christian Love, Dr.
Ed Judy
Fist published: Feb 9, 2014 Morror Mirror, Morrow First UMC, (c)Rev. Dr. Edward Judy
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