This week.
When I was in seminary we used to have long discussions about whether the greatest thing or worst thing for the Church was the “conversion” of the Emperor Constantine (though he wasn’t actually baptized until he lay on his deathbed, around 337). His recognition of Christianity largely paved the way for a unified Christendom; it also allowed the Church to be a player in the political arena and a wielder of social capital. The long story of the history of the Church throughout the Middle Ages was one where the Church found that power intoxicating, and the union of Church and State didn’t always get us closer to the kingdom of God.
Power, as we know from the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, can be an engine for living of the vision for a just society. Many of the leaders of the Civil Rights movement were fed by the stories in the Bible of the power of God given to Moses as he confronted Pharaoh to release Israel from slavery, as well as the many prophets who reminded the freed Israel of their obligation as a society. Power, used by the community, guided by principles, and fed by the story of God who calls us to be a people with a vision, can cast down the mighty from their thrones and lift up the lowly.
Staff Applications for Vocare 20
Vocare 20 will be held on March 6-8, 2020 at Camp McDowell. If you have previously attended a Vocare as a pilgrim you are invited to apply to serve on staff. Click here for more info.
We all have power, some more political, social, and economic than others; but the power we all possess comes when we acknowledge the pain and suffering of others, and then we respond from our awareness and willingness to participate. Those who desire power think power will bring happiness; what we seek isn’t happiness, it’s joy. Joy comes from the many ways we engage one another in community and not turn away from the discomfort of the emotional struggles we all endure. Joy comes when we can listen and share with the person we may not fully know. We may not have the power to cure, but we always have the power to heal. May you find an unexpected power within yourself which comes from remembering that you are a part of the liberating story of God, and you use that power to engage with God’s people.
–Thomas
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