ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 22, 2022
Historically, Christianity described the journey of faith as: Beliefs -to- Behavior -to- Belonging. When you first entered the faith community, you were told there were certain things you had to believe. These were usually associated with creeds and doctrinal statements. Once you could recite the proper beliefs, you were taught the proper behaviors – a lot of you must do this and you cannot do that. Finally, once you had the correct beliefs and behaviors, you were allowed to officially belong.
The main concern with this model is how it ignores the life of Jesus. Jesus did not set forth a list of required beliefs. There was no memorization test by which one would demonstrate proper knowledge. Instead, Jesus removed barriers used to exclude and restrict access. He made room at the table, healing and welcoming those who had been left out because of certain ailments or because of their ethnicity. Belonging was everything! Any psychologist will tell you that one of the greatest yearnings of a human being is to belong. And the act of eating with the foreigner, outcast, sick, and despised was a practice that shaped behavior. After such a meal, the participants begin to use the meal with Jesus as a model.
A person’s experience of belonging changes the behavior of both the individual and, eventually the community. From a place of belonging, behaviors begin to emerge that reflect a spirit of belonging (grace, mercy, kindness, justice). From there, people make statements of what they believe, including saying Jesus is the Son of Man (which means the ideal human being—he set the example by making room).
Sadly, many people seeking power take this organic movement of inclusion and healing and begin creating barriers based on certain beliefs. “You must first believe…” is thrust in front of people, with the additional caveat of hell for those who do not believe. It changes the movement; it shifts the whole purpose; it makes Christianity into something Jesus would not recognize.
Holy God, you create a welcoming table to model what a radically inclusive community can be like. It is not easy, and will in fact, require changes within all of us. Be the gentle guide as our own experiences of belonging seek to be reflected in the work of creating space where others can experience a sense of belonging. Our words of prayer are spoken in the name of the one who shared meals with those whom the world believed to be unacceptable. Amen.
