I Need You…

Many a church sings the words from Hezekiah Walker’s “I Need You To Survive,” but do we really believe them?

I need you, you need me.
We’re all a part of God’s body.

In a society that values and teaches fierce independence, do we really need one another? Most churches in which I’ve sung this, it’s been done so more for the sake of the part, “I won’t harm you with words from my mouth,” stressing the importance of supporting one’s brothers and sisters. While this is certainly important, I want to focus more deeply on the idea of truly needing one another. My ability to refrain from tearing you down does not necessarily mean I need you.

What would it look like if we truly needed one another? If we lived in true community? If we let our brothers and sisters get close enough to know the ways in which they could be God’s instruments in fulfilling “His will that every need be supplied”? What would the church look like if we truly were “important” to one another — if we saw one another through God’s eyes — if we truly needed one another “to survive”?

Life Lessons from Oscar Romero

Wikipedia: Outside of Catholicism, [Oscar] Romero is honored by other religious denominations of Christendom, including the Church of England through the Calendar in Common Worship. He is one of the ten 20th century martyrs who are depicted in statues above the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey in London.[4] In 2008, he was chosen as one of the 15 Champions of World Democracy by the Europe-based magazine A Different View.[5]

A piece in the Kansas City Star notes that, “Romero, murdered 30 years ago this month, is being considered for sainthood in Rome and is indisputably a central figure in the history of the late Cold War era. But he is just one of many historical figures who no longer make the cut in the Texas Board of Education’s revised curriculum standards.”

Ironically, the removal of Romero from the proposed curriculum came at the hands of Christian conservatives, which brings me around to one of my longstanding questions — when did we allow our politics to trump our Christianity? Why does it seem that our Christianity informs our personally held viewpoints less than we allow our personally held viewpoints to define what it means to be “Christian”?

Proclamation of Good News for Women

I was traveling for a work conference and found myself visiting a church in the Hyde Park area of Chicago on the first weekend in March. As such, the day was designated International Women’s Day of Prayer, and the following Proclamation of Good News for Women was read. It was something I certainly needed to hear that day, and I hope others likewise find something in it not only for themselves, but to share with others:

The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news to all the women of the world:

To those who are weighed down with guilt, it is forgiveness.

To those who sin, it is redemption and renewal.

To those who are oppressed, it is freedom.

To those who live in fear, it is peace.

To those who are despised and rejected, it is kinship with the God who endured the shame of the cross.

To those who are bound by unChristlike culture and tradition, it is emancipation by One who places the greatest value on every soul. 

To those who cannot trust, it is dependence upon One who has proven Himself trustworthy.

To those who are lonely, it is friendship with the Best Friend women ever had. 

To those who are devalued, it is a new identity as joint heirs of the grace of God.

To those who are secure in their relationship with the Lord, it is an opportunity to be the bridge that leads another to assurance in Christ.

As women who follow the Lord Jesus Christ, we are compelled by His love, commanded by His word, and gifted by His Spirit to share this Gospel with those who have not seen or heard the salvation of our God.

Therefore,

We will radiate His Light into the dark corners of women’s experience;

We will bear His life to those who are dying;

We will share our bread with those who are hungry;

We will declare His promise to those who have no hope;

We will proclaim His empowerment to those who are powerless;

We will bring affirmation to those who do not know they are made in the image of God.

We will see with the eyes of Jesus, listen with His ears, speak with His words, touch with His hands, embrace with His arms, and feel with His heart.

Until that great day comes when every woman, man and child will know the glorious grace and goodness of our God.

© BWA, used with permission, as found in Adventist Women’s Ministries International Women’s Day of Prayer Leaders Packet

When is Murder Justified?

I had the incredible honor of hearing Sister Helen Prejean (known by most through Susan Sarandon’s portrayal of her in Dead Man Walking) speak. While already inspired by her life’s work, it was also amazing to me how she could weave in and out of humor and what is obviously an incredibly somber subject.

And so, it seemed fitting to address the matter of the death penalty as my next blog topic. While anyone following the subject knows of the incredible racial and economic disparities inherent in the judicial system, Sister Helen pushed this point even further, asserting that it epitomizes our different wounds — racism, prejudice, and reliance on violence to solve problems we fear.

And so the question for me as a Christian has always been, “When is murder justified?” Never mind the many innocents the state has put to death…even in the case of guilt, how is it that “Thou shall not kill” applies to the individual, but not to the state? How is it we believe as a society that we can stop murder and violence by practicing murder and violence?