Community of grace

A week or 2 ago a good friend and colleague of mine had an article published in the Australian Christian. As has happened in the past, this is another article that has raised interesting conversation and controversy. The article is titled, ‘My daughter is a homosexual’.

The article speaks of the daughters’ experience of church as a Christian who is homosexual. More often than not she has experienced judgement over grace. The article celebrates the love and hospitality the whole family found in a community of grace at the Boronia Church of Christ.
As I reflected on it over the week and listened to the reactions of various people, I just could not leave this topic alone when it came to writing a reflection for this newsletter.

Whenever I hear stories of someone being excluded from a church because of their lifestyle or beliefs I shudder and my heart sinks. I am outraged and I find myself advocating for justice. It literally keeps me awake at night and I feel deeply for those people who experience God through these churches as a judgemental and angry God who will not accept them. Sadly, this is the often the last time that person steps near a church and it is a very long journey for them to one day allow a Christian to journey alongside them.

So who do we think we are? Who do we represent as a church? What does our God look like? These are` quintessential questions that shape us, our theology and in turn our ecclesiology.

So let’s explore that then – ecclesiology – from the Greek ‘’ecclesia’ meaning ‘the church’, the people of God.
Why is it that many Christians feel the need to judge others before loving others? This is a characteristic that shapes ecclesiology, who we are as a church. I have experienced many stories over this past month, like the one Ana writes about her daughter.

The church I am going into ministry with next year shared with me recently that a woman in the community wanted her child dedicated at a local church in the area. They turned her away because she wasn’t married. The current interim minister at Blackwood with the blessing of the church welcomed her in and preformed the dedication.

A young couple approached a couple of churches in Melbourne because they wanted to get married. They were turned away by all because they already had children and were living together. They came to me and I welcomed them in and they also experienced the blessing of our church as they were overwhelmed by the little touches you all offered to make their wedding day special.

A woman was brought before Jesus by the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. She had been caught in adultery. They challenged Jesus to uphold the law and approve of stoning this woman. He simply responded with, ‘If anyone of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ As they left one by one, no one was left to condemn the woman and Jesus left her with these powerful words, ‘neither do I condemn you…go and leave your life of sin.’

This is the Good News of Jesus Christ. We the church, are bearers of Good News, let this be the agenda that shapes our ecclesiology. I celebrate the fact that in my experience of Knoxfield Church of Christ you have been bearers of good news through the love, grace and hospitality of Christ.
May you continue to be a community of grace.

Shalom
Mark

If you would like to read the article; ‘My Daughter is a Homosexual’ go to The Australian Christian Online Subscribe while you're there it's only $25 (there you go Craig some free advertising, my good deed to the AC)