March 17: Sent into the World
Is being a Christian about what you believe or what you do?
Micah 6:6-8
Luke 22:24-27
“As we are sent, as we are called, as we choose to go into the world, the body of Christ, dwelling amid the body politic, seeking the common good for all. We go with minds and hearts that are humble to share a faith strengthened by always seeking God. We go with hands and feet that are just to take part in God's healing of a hurting world. We go with souls and spirits that are kind to tell God's story of dignity, empathy, and love. And we go led by the God who sends us, calls us back, and sends us again to be and become more than we could ever dream for ourselves.” ~Everything Good About God Is True, Bruce Reyes-Chow
When we receive new members into our church, we ask them to re-affirm their faith by answering four simple questions. The questions don’t demand that people toe the party line. Indeed, they’re written in such a way that allows a wide range of theological viewpoints. And, more importantly, the questions really come down to whether we’re willing to commit our lives to the love of God we find in Jesus Christ. The focus of our membership questions seems to imply that orthopraxis is more important than orthodoxy. In other words, right behavior is more important than right belief. And yet, maybe it’s impossible to separate orthodoxy from orthopraxis. Maybe we cannot divide our beliefs from our behavior, because what we believe informs how we act.