“Every day I learn something. As long as I show up to class. As long as I show up for my own life.”
Yesterday, Jeremy piggy-backed a portion of his blog off of a statement I made in my previous post. Today, I return the favor…
I mentioned yesterday that the Executive Director of the MCC was the guest preacher at church. Her topic was “Keep walking through those doors”. Keep showing up, in other words.
No matter what other problems get in the way, we need to keep walking through the doors. When conflicts seem to be too much… just keep walking through the doors. Keep coming to church. Keep plugging away at this beautiful ministry we call MCC Omaha. Just do it. Or as the words of our Affirmation of Faith expressed in closing: let us. Let Us. LET US.
For 31 years, MCC Omaha has served the GLBTISEtc community of Nebraska and Western Iowa. For 31 years, conflict has been a part of that service. And for 31 years, folks have continued to walk through those doors, keep on coming. Sure, faces change, but we keep on plugging. We keep coming back, and we keep trying. Maybe we’ll change. We need to change, in order to grow. But change or no change, we’ll keep plodding along. I believe that. I trust that as a promise.
The problem with conflict, and the thing about it that prevents people from coming back through those doors is that conflict is the ultimate in “ungrace”. Conflict can only occur when forgiveness and repentance are absent.
We need to be careful in our interactions at church… and in all aspects of our lives. When wronged, when decisions are reached that we disapprove of, it’s okay to express that. It’s not okay to attack the ones making the decisions, the one who wrongs. That is the kind of conflict I see, though.
When wronged, it’s okay to address that “Hey, you wronged me by…” And there can be only one valid response to that. “I’m sorry you felt wronged by my action.” IMO, it’s okay to express why an action wronged me… or why I took the action that wronged the other, but the paramount aspect of that exchange must be the expression of regret for wronging, and the followup forgiveness. When we don’t do that, we fail to demonstrate God’s Grace to the other, and to the rest of the community.
And when decisions are made that we disagree with, the answer isn’t to walk away. The answer is to walk back in through those doors, and address the decision, and why you feel it’s wrong. Perhaps if enough people calmly and lovingly were to express displeasure (oh, and pleasure TOO) with the actions taken, we could put aside the stupid, petty squabbling that seems to all too often fill the walls of our churches, places of work, places of play, homes.
It’s the grace-filled interaction of people of faith in our churches that demonstrate God’s grace to the world. It’s a form of interaction that all too rarely finds form in action. At ANY place of worship.
I find that sad. I truly believe that is one of the best ways to demonstrate God’s love… loving each other as God has loved us. It’s called Grace.
Jeremy also called me to task (well, I THINK he was calling me to task) for my continued reference to my being too old….
Okay, let’s set the record straight… (Yes, I use that word…) I am not old. I’m not too old for anything except perhaps well, we won’t go THERE.
I am squarely, and centrally, located in the throes of Middle Age. Which means that I still have half my life ahead of me to accomplish. Mission. Whatever.
So, I’ll try to tone down the “Oh, woe is me, I’m too old…” bull hunky. ‘Cause that’s what it is, and I know it.
On The Road II 