“The world is my parish.” Anyone who has read John Wesley’s works knows that this was one of his central ideas. Wesley was an Anglican priest who tried desperately to change his church. In the process, he changed the world. The Methodist movement – Methodist, by the way, was used negatively to describe John and his brother, Charles – was both an evangelical and social justice movement. The Wesley’s saw the suffering around them, and they believed that faith in Jesus could help to cure the world. They weren’t evangelical in the modern sense; they didn’t browbeat or shame people into believing (as far as we know). They cared for people’s needs, body and soul. John himself said that he, “was strangely moved” by the Spirit; he was accused of “enthusiasm” – being in God – because his faith excited him.
Today’s truth is that we as clergy and laypeople need to be involved in the world beyond our buildings, and many are not. So much of our time and money is spent on maintaining our physical plants and that is, of course, necessary. Our buildings, however, shouldn’t sit empty all week, they should be havens – safe places – where like-minded organizations and people can find shelter. We, on the other hand, should be out in the community contributing to the common good. I know too many clergy who either don’t want to or aren’t allowed to be involved with secular organizations. Their members are often greedy for their time – I have actually heard members of other churches say that they pay the salary, so they should get all of the clergyperson’s efforts. This isn’t just selfish; it is short-sighted.
More than ever, we in the church need to make the world our parish. Religion has lost its standing in the world, and it only has itself – and us – to blame. Over the last 50 years, we have allowed one crisis after another to define who we are, and the blame is everywhere. From rapist priests being protected to TV preachers stealing money from the church, in general, promoting hatred of LGBTQ people, we are the reason America has left our buildings. Like it or not, we represent God, and when we allow evil to go unchallenged, we become complicit in the evil. I work hard to let people know that we aren’t all bigots; and that women, in God’s eyes, are equal to men. That we care about people even when they don’t show up in church. To the growing number of “nones”, we represent the best that God can offer. Which, to many of them, doesn’t mean much. And while God should not be blamed for our imperfections, most people do. We don’t have to evangelize to let people know that they are loved. We just need to do our best to live it. Since most people don’t attend worship services, how will they see that God’s people aren’t jerks? By us being out there with them. Doing what’s best for the common good. Embracing the world as our parish.
Prayer – Holy God, forgive us for allowing Your faith communities to be seen as irrelevant. Give us the courage to care for people with no strings attached. Amen.
Today’s art is “A Quiet Gaze” by Kathleen Scarboro.