Summer has finally arrived. Everyone wants to be out and about. Have a little fun with their boo.
You know it's Summer when people come out from everywhere. The fashion switches up; a lot of skin and showing off those bodies we worked so hard to get during the Spring.
Alas, even with the increase in energy that comes with the change of seasons, we still have some folk who don't...just aren't...maybe forgot that unity, peace, and love are important. Although, these underlie many faiths (and go beyond a Hippie flashback), some of our brothers and sisters tend to forget these very tenets.
In the last "Special Edition" post, we talked about how Christ doesn't need perfection. Taking that idea a step further, we're going to look at, or more specifically introduce the concept of Christ's Kingdom and the requirement of unity (even when taking into consideration the differences).
Mark 12:28-34 (MSG) #verseOfReflection #d-shedRemix
28 One of the religion scholars came up...
“Which is most important of all the commandments?”
29-31 Jesus said, “...And here is the second:
‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’...”
32-33 The religion scholar said,
“A wonderful answer, Teacher!...”
34 When Jesus realized how insightful he was, he said,
“You’re almost there, right on the border of God’s kingdom.” ...
When I was working on The Veritas Forum at Carnegie Mellon, I slowly but surely began to realize, "God's kingdom is at hand." What does that mean? Jesus said this on many occasions, whether it was affirming that someone was "close" to the Kingdom of God or in the context of challenging folks to see that a new kingdom was on its way to being ushered in. I believe the "Kingdom of God", very simply is one where we can live in peace with each other and genuinely care for our brothers and sisters despite their differences, doctrine, and dissertations.
For me to understand that God's kingdom is at hand was to suggest that I understood the work in which God was doing on the campus of Carnegie Mellon. Sure, much of what I realized had some ties to the actual work that I was doing, yet it was so much more than that and continues to go beyond what I've done to this very day. College is a time of experience and learning; so special that those who are "guardians" have to do what's practical in their power to ensure that the students get a holistic perspective (if at all possible). Generally college campuses are a microcosm of what's going (or will be going) on in the real world. They also happen to be a breeding ground for understanding the future of a generation with some distinction from their previous ones (e.g. Millennials). What does the "Kingdom of God" actually mean? Good question. I don't have an answer for you and I'm sure you can find one.
Let's take a quick tour with a history lesson shall we...so, Buicks. Most of you are probably thinking, "What's a Buick?"
In trying to gain my confidence back during the Fall of 2012 after returning to school I was reading Succeeding Against The Odds, the autobiography of Jet & Ebony founder, John H. Johnson. If anyone literally, "started from the bottom", it was him (and countless others) #culturalContext.
Mr. Johnson in his autobiography mentions buying buicks (especially one for his mother), as they were a symbol of luxury. Well, if you're a King or part of a kingdom perhaps being associated with luxury isn't always a bad thing. Although, a love of wealth and riches can leave you blinded, an appreciation (and economic contribution) of the "finer things in life" can be sign(s) of blessing. Of course you might want to know what blessing means in this context, which goes beyond just having (or getting) "stuff".
During last Summer when I was home recuperating, I attended the Florida Annual Conference with my mother. It was really fun and enjoyable. It's kind of a time to really be sociable with folk you haven't seen in a while. There were many important things said there which are relevant.
From: Transforming the World Being United in Christ by Michael Kinnamon
"Christian unity is a gift to be received/expressed" (i.e. One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism)
"God loves those other jerks as well" (i.e. They're related by the blood of Christ)
"Church is for the healing witness in a hurting world" (i.e. Central to God's plan)
"Methodist is a wonderful adjective but an idolatrous noun" (i.e. I'm a Methodist Christian)
From: An Incredible Call to Exceed Our Expectation in Transforming the World by Bishop John F. White
There's a mission impossible element here which suggests mystery and excitement
God's mission and witness have a church, not vice versa
An explanation of how Humpty Dumpty may have been careless, pushed, or the wall gave way (i.e He had nothing to hold on to)
- The landscape for doing/being church is changing
What do we mean to God? #crossTheLine "I dare you..."
Now understandably so, this is from a Christian perspective for Christians to do a better job in being united as One. Beyond that this has implications for how everyone in the world can be united as well (without having to have some sort of nationalistic mindset). Oddly enough I was thinking on this idea/concept of everyone being united well before I got to Annual Conference last Summer.
In closing, there are 2 things which I believe are necessary to move closer towards being united in the coming (yet present) Kingdom of Jesus Christ. First, there needs to be a response to the promptings of our faith(s) and secondly, a constant reminder as to why and how we remain united without having to compromise that which is fundamental and necessary to what it is that we profess to believe.
Sumthn2Ponder (s2p):
- What does it mean to be united with our neighbors?
- Do I purposefully separate myself from "certain people"?
- How am I uniting with others in Christ's Kingdom?
- Why does God call for us to be united instead of forcing us to?
- When will I "cross the line" and embrace unity?
