Reading
Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
Matthew 7:1-5 (The Message)
Reflection
I’m at this year’s Leadership Institute hosted by Church of the Resurrection, the largest United Methodist Church in North America. I’ve been coming here nearly 20 years, and it’s hard to believe how much has changed—on their campus, in their city, and in our collective ministry. People gather from across the country (and some from outside it) and from different Christian traditions, though most of us come from the same Wesleyan tree.
My life has changed a lot since then. Likely the same is true for you. A lot has shifted in our stories since 2008—some of you may not have even been born then. And yet Resurrection’s ministry has continued. Not because its people have been perfect (none of us are), but because the mission of Jesus remains the same.
That’s why being here this year, while back home we’re in a sermon series on the 12 Steps, feels so timely. Pastor Mark just preached on Step Four: taking a searching and fearless moral inventory. Inventory is not curation. Pop stars curate their image, and conferences like this curate experiences and lessons. Curation isn’t bad—it serves a purpose and can inspire—but it doesn’t carry the same invitation to authenticity, community, and healing that inventory does.
The world needs hope.
People need hope.
You and I—God knows—we need hope.
The good news is that hope hasn’t changed. Since the 2000s and long before, the message of Jesus has been the same: we are loved, seen, and known by the God of all creation. Nothing on the public or private rap sheets of our lives can change that. Our place in God’s kingdom is secured by the love and presence of Christ—and good grief, that’s Good News.
Yesterday I sat in a workshop on Digital Media Ministry and was reminded how potent the message we carry really is. There is hope. There is a better way: honoring, dignifying, inclusive, just, healing, nurturing—Jesus. As long as God’s people live transformed by grace, there is still hope for the world. There’s still hope for you and me.
That hope gives me courage to make my lists again. To take inventory. To be reminded of my sin—because it always reminds me of my redemption and new life. Maybe some of this will do the same for you too.
Prayer
I’m not giving up, God.
Because you haven’t given up on me.
Let’s keep moving—
I’m ready for the next step.
Amen.
