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Not the Hired Hand
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3 May 2009 I can’t really say that I know Marka, but I have seen her in a number of UCC settings over the years. Usually she’s in her wheelchair, taking part in the discussion of the moment. Yesterday, she was at the Labyrinth Workshop, where she danced with us in the movements of worship and shared with us the difference between being pushed and being led. After spending the morning in the social hall, we moved into Bethesda UCC’s sanctuary. In their sanctuary, everything is moveable, so there is room for the huge canvas labyrinth that was laid out on the floor. It’s a replica of the beautiful 13th century labyrinth built into the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France. Votive candles framed the entire labyrinth. One by one, we began our journey to its center, individually, yet together. Marka, her legs strengthened by stiff plastic braces, and steadied by two four-footed canes, walked along its charted path. It was not her first time in a labyrinth, but it was the first time she’d ever been able to walk on one. From the two facilitators to the rest of participants, the message that Marka’s presence was a vital, important part of the community we created was sent and received: No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here. Her presence and participation were vital. Vital and life-giving. Last Sunday after worship, I flew to Boston for the spring meeting of the UCC President’s Advisory Council. In the meeting, we learned of the Women’s Lunch Place, a daytime shelter for homeless or poor women, a ministry at Church of the Covenant, United Church of Christ. Over a period of twenty-five years, this shelter has served thousands of women. It’s been open six days a week year round, offering food, friendship, and a full spectrum of advocacy and support services to their guests. Dignity and respect are core values of the shelter. Independent of the Women’s Lunch Place, the congregation supports a weekend food cupboard, recognizing that many other food pantries are closed on the weekends. About 200 persons are served every weekend.[1] No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here. Other congregations are setting up office space for people to work on their resumes and search for jobs. Members who have been jobless in other times are acting as mentors. Or working with the Interfaith Housing Coalition not just to house the homeless, but also to help families purchase their first homes and be self-sufficient.[2] No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here. UCCSV’s mission is to provide a welcoming spiritual home for those seeking God’s presence, preparing us to serve others in Jesus’ name. Early Christian art often depicted Jesus as the good shepherd, one who gives everything possible for those in his care. He wasn’t the hired hand, punching the time clock, ultimately bearing no responsibility for the outcome of his work. He was the good shepherd, bearing full responsibility for the care and safety of his flock. Think about the essential qualities of a good shepherd–caring, rescuing, feeding, protecting, guiding: qualities embedded in the ministries I have lifted up. Not rocket science. Nothing particularly spectacular about shepherd’s care. It’s daily. It’s nightly. It’s hard work. It’s often not seen by anyone except those who are co-workers or immediate beneficiaries. No matter who you are or where you are in life’s journey, you are welcome here. Caring, feeding, and guiding are gentle qualities; they nurture. But for all the gentle qualities we picture with shepherding, two can be somewhat edgy: protecting and rescuing. One is proactive, the other is reactive. Sometimes they are interconnected. A couple of years ago, the United Church of Christ aired the “ejector seat” ad. With humorous exaggeration, the ad showed people attending worship who didn’t quite meet the unwritten standard: a mother with a fussy baby; an elderly man with a walker; a streetperson. All were ejected from the pew. It was an ad aimed at the unchurched, the dechurched, the outcast, the despairing. And it connected. This post was one response.
My friends, we follow in the footsteps of the good shepherd. We are called to put flesh on the bones of our identity as disciples so that the despair of a recently-diagnosed HIV+ man, or the spiritual void of a Craigslist’s Philip Markoff, or the agonized fear of the abused immigrant young mother are met and assuaged in the beloved community. We are called to put flesh on the bones of our identity as disciples so that everyone we meet we know that no matter who they are or where they are on life’s journey, they are welcome here. *** [1]http://www.womenslunchplace.org/about-wlp |