Demands and Decrees we make

 

Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.  1 Corinthians 12:15

 

Belonging is a longing that stirs within us.  Belonging is acceptance, affirmation, being seen and heard, and embracing the fullness of life blended into one smoothie of life.  I believe that we long for a belonging that is more than fitting in.  We long to find people who love us fully.  And, because humans are humans, we also divide and discriminate, we rate and rank, and our opinions continue to act like we are the captain of the kickball team, getting to pick who we want on our side.  Ugh.  Two thousand years later, countless sermons have been preached, so many faithful lives lived, and we still administer litmus tests of who is in and out.  We still say to immigrants, LGBTQ+, anyone with a beautiful skin tone other than white, anyone who struggles to live paycheck to paycheck, people who live with mental illness, and in so many other ways that they are not welcome at our party.  Who would you like to not include in the body of Christ today?  I know, the good person inside of us wants to shout, “No one!  I love everyone!”  But I know I have a list.  I know some people push my buttons, people whose words have wounded, people whose very presence sets my mind spinning.  It’s okay to have a list.  The question is not whether some people annoy us, but what we do when those folks show up with a whole new set of creative ways to frustrate and flummox us.  You really must admire the creativity of some people’s abilities to anger you.  Frustration is part of community.  To be clear, I am not saying that harm physically, emotionally, or spiritually should go unaddressed or swept under the rug.  Boundaries are needed and necessary.  Your body has boundaries.  There are things your body can do and cannot.  There is a place where I end, and the other begins.  Boundaries help us.  Sometimes I will quote Parker Palmer in a group and say, “No fixing, no saving, no advising here.”  No saying, “I know exactly how you feel.”  No projecting your conclusions onto another’s complexity.  This is so hard because our hand wants to tell our foot how to walk better.  But honestly, I can’t walk on my hands, so that appendage should stick to typing and bringing my cup of coffee to my lips.  Continue to let Paul’s image sing, stir, and speak to your life.  Are you trying to tell someone else how to live?  What boundaries are appropriate for our church to thrive?  How can we find ways to contribute our individual uniqueness and celebrate the diverse unity of being the church these days?  Amen.