Hope is an Act of Resistance
The Spirit truly works in mysterious ways. As many of you know, I love to ask questions, and each Sunday in the bulletin there are questions for people to reflect on and talk with others about after the service. At a recent meeting I attended, one of the members of the church invited the team to reflect on one of those questions. I found it challenging. It turns out that I’m comfortable asking the questions rather than answering them. However, by struggling to answer the question I gleaned even more meaning. So I thought I would practice what I preach. One of the questions that is on my mind this week specifically, being that it is Reign of Christ Sunday, is this: How do we live as people of hope in a world that often mistrusts leadership and longs for healing? My trust in leaders of the world is at an all time low. My immediate reaction is to condemn them, but my experience tells me that condemning them does not really make a difference. As people of faith, we are called to live in hope, and offer grace and forgiveness, and we are called to love our enemies as ourselves. Not an easy task.
In these moments, I often think back to a science project I did in Grade 8, on positive and negative reinforcement. I am definitely the type of person who responds well to positive reinforcement, and as my experiment taught me, most people do. So why do we spend so much of our time and energy in negative reinforcement with leaders and people in the world? When I grumble at the news on TV, or talk with friends about the state of the world...I become a negative force in the world, believing that the world is beyond hope.
As a faith leader, I want to role model of what Jesus taught us. I want to be a glimmer of hope for people and an agent of change that increases hope and diminishes visceral judgment and anger. This is not an easy task. I think it is fair to say that despair is easy, but hope truly takes faith. Over the last month, I have chosen to focus my energy on looking for God’s presence in my daily tasks and moments, and I have found more hope than I could have ever imagined. It turns out that I am surrounded by people who have a deep and abiding faith. I have heard stories of people’s faith during the recent celebration of life services, in the discipleship classes, in one on one conversations, and in committee meetings. People are being bold and sharing with each other how God is giving them strength in their lowest moments, and how God is providing them with people who support them and show them compassion. As people of faith, we embody Christ’s spirit when we admit our limits, share leadership, honour each other’s gifts, and intentionally choose humility over ego.
I want to be the kind of person and leader that acts with compassion instead of cruelty, with justice instead of exploitation, peace instead of division, and grace instead of judgment. In order to do this faithfully, I need to turn my attention to God. I want you to know that this month, you the people of R-W have inspired me, and given me hope. You are God’s light in the world and for that I am thankful to be in ministry with you all! I would love to hear your answer to the question how do we live as people of hope in a world that often mistrusts leadership and longs for healing? As you reflect, know that hope is an act of resistance!
Blessings, Rev. Karen