The theme for this month has been missional people of God. As I keep reflecting on what it means to be missional, I found a valuable lesson in the lectionary texts for the last two weeks and this Sunday’s text. Being missional means being willing to be an instrument of healing, liberation, and inclusion. Additionally, being missional means being exemplars of humility and hospitality.
What is challenging from these texts is that Jesus is not sugar-coding it. Instead, Jesus makes it clear to the leader of the synagogue, the leader of the Pharisees, and to his audience that arrogance leads to dehumanizing and excluding our neighbors.
Arrogance is also anti humility and anti hospitality–and anti missional. Sadly, arrogance has been historically present in many of the missional efforts of the Church at large. Therefore, as we try to be missional, we should consider how we live out our missional nature to avoid unintentional arrogant gestures.
Humility and hospitality are virtues worth cultivating as we strive to be more authentic missional people of God. Humility and hospitality are virtues that can help improve our close relationships. Humility and hospitality can help us in our current situation as a denomination.
Our world urgently needs healing, liberation, and spaces of belonging. As the Church of Christ on earth, we are responsible for overcoming arrogance with humility, hostility with hospitality, and, more significantly, hate with love.
Almighty God, help us embody Jesus’ example of humility and hospitality so we can be instruments of redemption. Amen.
Here are a few opportunities to be missional people of God by supporting these ministries:
Advance Special Giving:
- S-00289 Apex Immigration Services
- S-00299 Immigration & Sanctuary Legal Support Fund
- S-00198 Peace & Justice Clinic (JFON) Justice for Our Neighbor
- S-00298 Samaritan’s Fund
