As I get excited about community-based
organizing here in DC, I cannot help but notice the parallels between
the work of the organizer and the labor of the gospel minister. When
I reflect on the work of Paul,
Margaret
Fell, George
Fox and so many other servants of the gospel,
it seems clear that their ministry did not consist of simply
delivering a verbal proclamation about Jesus and demanding
intellectual assent to certain propositions.
Nor did they limit their ministry to
individuals. Christ's apostles throughout the ages have clearly seen
their role as being to challenge and nurture entire communities. The
gospel is not merely limited to some sort of interior heart-change;
everywhere that the good news of Jesus is authentically proclaimed
and received, the
Holy Spirit unleashes a wave of counter-cultural activity,
transforming communities in the very practical details of their lives
- spiritual, social and economic.
Throughout the Scriptures
and the history
of the Christian Church, there is a strong
connection between sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and empowering
local communities to work for justice. Faith
without works is dead and, in the grand scheme
of things, works
without community are limited, at best.
When I recognize that Jesus founded
his ministry on a proclamation of debt forgiveness and human
liberation, the implications are clear. No
longer can I let myself off the hook, imagining that the purpose of
faith is to make me feel good, or even to make me personally
righteous. Instead, I must face the reality that my
own salvation is bound up in the groaning of all creation, and that I have a role to play in the story of cosmic liberation.
At the same time, my
role in this grand narrative usually does not seem "cosmic"
at all. Organizing for justice
is some of the most brutally earthy work I know. What could be more
tangible than walking into a neighborhood where you do not live,
knocking on the door of someone you do not know, and asking whoever
answers, "What are your deepest concerns? What do you and others
in your community feel passionate about? What is the change that you
wish to see?" Community organizing is all about particular,
personal relationships. We often only see the transcendent once
we have taken the plunge into the terrifying work of being human.
What is the connection between gospel
ministry and community organizing? When I go canvassing in DC
neighborhoods, my goal is not to convince those whom I meet to accept
the gospel as I understand it. Instead, I am focused on practical
human needs, obstacles that have been placed in the way, and the
tools that we need to get our community's needs met. The immediacy of
the human precedes the transcendent. If we see God, it
is only from behind.
But that does not mean that there is no
divine connection. As I understand it, the goal of community
organizing is to draw out the hidden creativity, passion, energy and
thirst for justice that lies latent in all human communities. For me,
that hints at something even deeper. Where does that hidden power
come from? Who is the source of our hunger and thirst for structural
justice and personal righteousness? Who inspires the love that allows
a community to unite around its weakest members and see an aggression
against one as an attack on everyone?
How have you seen God at work in your
community? What has been your experience of being part of a community that
is lovingly challenged and nurtured - whether by explicit
gospel ministry, Spirit-led eldership, or apparently secular
community organizing? How have you experienced God calling you to
organize in your community, to lift up the hidden life and power of
God?
1 comment:
I love the servanthood inherent in going door to door not to deliver an answer but to engage in the possibility of collaboration to empower and uplift. In this, as in a Quaker meeting, there is sharing and, growth in perspective, in knowledge and wisdom by ALL that are involved.
One learning from my experience: I often learn of generosity by persons of little means that is large relative to their resources and that seems unrelated to overt or any religious faith. I often then feel that I need the visits of the spirits that transformed Scrooge. Certainly I would like to understand the source of their generosity and use that knowledge to soften my hard heart.
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