American culture has recently moved from heated polarization to violent, death-toll-building polarization. Death and violence are occurrences meant for mourning indeed.
In light of crossing this tragic threshold, and especially after this week's dialogue on courage, it got me thinking about what courage looks like as a pastoral facilitator of dialogue in these heated, dark, strange, uncertain times. How do I discern what it can look like, and what it doesn't need to look like? What does courage mean for The Church Lab?
I want to share what came of wondering about this as a prayer-journal exercise. I think others could engage their own version of this exercise, if it might be of help. Perhaps it might bring clarity or encouragement to someone out there who is wrestling with how to exercise courage in your own context these days.
Here it is:
Prayers for The Church Lab's Courage -
God, help me to know what courage means for me. And to be courageous.
In discerning what sort of courage I’m being led into, what is my north star that defines the purpose and vision of my courage? What am I not just against? What am I for?
What is TCL’s north star?
*Love of neighbor, no matter who it is.*
For me as TCL’s pastor, and as a person called to this north star, this will mean I exercise courage in a way that suits some and not so much others, that helps aid in some ways and allows for others’ gifts to show up in the lanes I am not occupying.
It will not look like everything, but what will it look like, in concrete terms?
That might mean someone is hungry and I help feed them.
That might mean someone is scared and I help them feel safe.
That might mean someone feels out of place, or is told they are out of place, and I help them feel welcome. Maybe that person is liberal. Maybe they are conservative. Maybe neither.
That might mean loving my neighbor without counting whether or not I believe they deserve it first. Taking off the conditionality metric. And what does it mean to love a neighbor, especially one with whom I disagree, or someone I dislike? Maybe listening long enough to appreciate their humor, their own thoughtfulness, their own vulnerabilities, their story. To allow myself to learn from them without feeling threatened. To linger long enough to not 100% dislike them anymore. To allow for discovering their heart, rather than writing them off as a villain through and through. To do everything in my power to see them the way God sees them.
It means I pray for people whose ideologies I don’t like as well as those whose ideologies I favor.
It means I will lean into compassion, empathy, understanding, grace, forgiveness of self and others, though it may be unpopular at times.
This also means I express my voice and advocate for those without one, whether in individual or systemic contexts, in the name of all neighbors having a way to function safely and freely, not always but sometimes even if I disagree with them, and possibly even if they don’t consider me an ally themselves.
It also means that sometimes I listen to someone with whom I may disagree strongly, but I know it’ll help me grow to listen to them and it’ll help them know their value because they are heard for once.
I will foster connection, even countercultural connection, in the name of upholding a Hope for communities which insist on human dignity of everyone from the left to the right, who move and breathe and even make decisions with one another in mind and at heart, rather than drawing more societally-fracturing lines.
It is not a formula. I must follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance, by my own faith tradition.
Sometimes doing this will be comfortable. I will feel free, supported, fulfilled. My deepest Joy will meet the world’s greatest need (as theologian Frederick Buechner describes).
But if it is comfortable all the time, if it never stretches me in any way, I might be off course.
If any and every effort costs me nothing, if there is never a drop of sacrifice in the long haul, I’m not sure that is Christ’s love.
When an opportunity arises for me to risk something for my north star, may I take it and not look back.
And may it indeed spring from faith and trust in such uncertain times, and as a result build Hope, and breathe in the direction of Joy all along the way.
May we have Peace which surpasses understanding throughout, and may Peace also be the fruit of all such hard labors as in the work of Love of neighbor (or whatever the north star may be for someone else).
May what we each choose as our north star be worthy and wise. And may we then pour our attention, our time and energy into all that forms us into people who move and breathe with that north star at heart. May it define our character and integrity. May our north star direct the nature of our treasure, such that it is where our heart is from moment to moment (Matthew 6), day to day; such that fear and panic and anxiety and empty noise cannot threaten our journey of nurturing our strong bond to that north star. We know perfect love drives out all fear (1 John 4).
God, help me to know what courage means for me. And to be courageous.
Amen.