Faithfulness in a Fractured World: Belonging that Holds

We have been connected to the eternal reality, which means our deepest belonging is not built on shared perspectives or shared language or even the parts of our story that feel most central to us. Those things are important, but they are not ultimate. And our belonging exists because of God's mercy, not ours. Our sense of belonging exists because of God's mercy, not our mercy. And because of that, we are brought into not only a relationship with God, but in relationship with one another that is very unique in the world. [00:38:51] (42 seconds)  #MercyBasedBelonging

So here's the central idea that I've been trying to return to again and again for those who follow Jesus. Our belonging is not something we construct. It is something we receive. It is grounded in God's initiative towards us in Christ, in our response to that initiative in faith. See, before we sort out where we stand on issues and, divisions, before we fully understand ourselves, before we align with any particular group, we have already been received by God through Christ. [00:38:11] (40 seconds)  #BelongingIsReceived

But there is a real and profound sense that we are family. We are sisters and brothers in God's kingdom, and that we are joined together in a way that makes all those other parts of our lives, they're real, but they are not ultimate. The gospel does not erase the real parts of our story, but it refuses to let any one of them become the deepest thing about us. In Christ, we are joined together by something deeper than all the things that normally divide us or distinguish us. [00:42:10] (38 seconds)  #FamilyInChrist

and they still assume that they have some claim on Jesus. But Jesus refuses to be contained even by those closest to him. See, the kingdom that Jesus is inaugurating is larger than family loyalty. It's larger than inherited loyalties. It's larger than every human attempt to define him or recruit him to our tribe. Instead, he begins to form a new family gathered not around shared background or shared categories or shared values and experiences, but around himself. [00:46:14] (38 seconds)  #JesusBuildsFamily

because discernment is not just about arriving at the more correct or right conclusions. It's about becoming the kind of people who can remain with Jesus, who can remain with one another long enough so that Jesus can do his work of formation in our lives. See, sometimes spiritual maturity is not the immediate resolution of tension, but it's the willingness to remain faithfully present long enough for God to do God's work in us. [00:49:22] (35 seconds)  #DiscernmentIsStaying

It locates our deepest belonging not in any one part of our story or experience, but in Christ himself. See, the gospel doesn't erase the real parts of our lives, but it refuses to let any one of them become the deepest thing about us. Instead, Jesus gathers us into a belonging that's larger and more enduring than anything we could construct on our own, which means belonging here or in the kingdom of God is not something you earn by arriving at the right conclusions or by agreement. [00:55:16] (38 seconds)  #BelongingInChrist

It's something we all receive as we learn together to follow Jesus. And that belonging is not something that comes and goes depending on where you are at in a journey. It is something that we are committed to holding together as we seek Christ. And that kind of belonging matters because in especially in conversations where people have often felt reduced or categorized or spoken about more than spoken with, and that includes LGBTQ people in this community. [00:55:54] (37 seconds)  #BelongingWithoutConditions

And I think when we learn to live that way, together, we begin to reflect something of God's kingdom in a way that the frack this fractured world needs to see. And the good news is that we are not doing this alone. We're not doing this because we're smart enough, or we're convicted enough, or because we're strong enough. It's because Jesus gives us one another, and Jesus gives us his very spirit to continue forming us together. [01:00:45] (32 seconds)  #TogetherBySpirit