Finding True North #21: Jesus' Public Ministry

This past Sunday, North UMC launched a worship and sermon series focused on Jesus' public ministry. The goal of the series, which will also include curriculum to support small group discussion along the way, is for the church to figure out how to publicly proclaim its welcome to all people. There is a particular focus here on the LGBTQ community, with the question being not whether to be welcoming but how (and whether to affiliate with the Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN)). The discussion also includes questions on how better to support families of children and adults with disabilities.

These are things that North is already doing, so ironically, they are trying to work out how to "talk the walk." Usually for a church, it's the opposite. I am truly blessed to be in a place where actions speak louder than words, but words are also taken seriously. North's approach to the ministry of welcome and inclusiveness has been intentional, scriptural, theological and corporate in a way that I haven't really seen before, especially not in a pretty mainline Protestant church. On Sunday, as I listened to Kevin explain the public ministry series and deliver a sermon entitled "From the Inside, Out," challenging the church to think about how they might take the hospitality that is already demonstrated within the walls of North UMC and proclaim it to the broader community.

As part of the process, a letter was sent out to the congregation and printed in the bulletin. You can open a PDF of the letter here. It was drafted by the Inclusiveness Task Force at North, a group that was charged a while back with helping to structure the conversation and move the church forward in the goal of more publicly stating its welcome to all people. I was able to meet with this group a few weeks ago and was impressed not only with their focus and sense of purpose but also with their concern for making space for other voices. They recognize that because this move toward inclusiveness is supported by the majority of the congregation, those who may not be comfortable with such a public statement may feel like they cannot speak up for fear of seeming unwelcoming. North had this conversation (specifically about affiliating with RMN) 18 years ago and it was tabled, and apparently there are still people around who have residual struggles from that. But Kevin and the task force are doing everything in their power to bring those voices into the conversation, something that I rarely see happening on either side of the discussion—or really in any discussion these days.

I'm thrilled to be at North as they embark on this conversation. It's been incredible to see how they're approaching it and to be a part of the process, even tangentially. Kevin has asked my help in some aspects of worship planning around this series, so I've been able to contribute some, particularly in the way of hymn suggestions. We opened the service this past Sunday with a David Haas hymn that I love, "We Are Called," based on Micah 6:8. Here are the lyrics:

Come! live in the light!
Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord!
We are called to be light for the kingdom,
to live in the freedom of the city of God!

(Refrain)
We are called to act with justice.
We are called to love tenderly.
We are called to serve one another, to walk humbly with God.

Come! Open your heart!
Show your mercy to all those in fear!
We are called to be hope for the hopeless,
so all hatred and blindness will be no more!

Sing! Sing a new song!
Sing of that great day when all will be one!
God will reign and we'll walk with each other
as sisters and brothers united in love!

I'm so excited to be part of a faith community, even just for a summer, that is dedicating itself to living in the light and finding its prophetic voice intentionally and prayerfully in an increasingly polarized world.