I often stood at that corner. When my dog and I walked we stopped at the corner. As I stood at the corner I gazed at the magnificent beauty of the tree. Through windstorms, changing of seasons, and the occasional lightning strike the tree’s outward appearance shifted. I wonder has our Christian appearance and action ever shifted?
We become outraged, sickened, and fear filled with the violence which has run ramet in our nation since the first school shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. That was April 20, 1999. Nearly thirty years later we are sickened, outraged, and fear filled with another horrific act of violence inflicted upon innocent humanity as an entire class is gunned down at Rob Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas just days ago. Has it been thirty years since a school shooting? No. The span of our nation’s recent thirty-year history is dotted with numerous tragic senseless deaths of innocent people killed in violent random explosions of gun fire.
Does our righteous outrage, sick feeling in the pit of our stomach, and fears rally our nation to live out loud a Christian identity which applies massive consistent pressure to national policy makers to protect the innocent, value the marginalized, and seek those who become lost in the systemic injustices and oppressiveness of hate? Is our Christian identity only skin deep so that it looks good on the outside and yet inside we seek only to stand up for our own issues, circle our wagons around only those whom we love, and standby as the national trend which lives violence, hate, racism, and injustice in the name of Christianity rage on?
As I remember standing at that corner my thoughts ponder the root system of a tree that can withstand the storms and violent weather across the years and still remain true to its innate beauty as created in the image of God.
The Scripture
In the letter to the Ephesians Paul urges, no insists, that believers live Christian identity from the inside of their being to their outward attitude, actions, and character. Paul insists that the Christian community develop a deep unwavering healthy, systemic rootedness in Christ so that each life – each community – each nation – is nourished through personal metamorphosis as the old competitive, narcissistic nature of humanity is transfigured into new character of Christ. In Ephesians 1:15-23, as the risen Jesus ascended to heaven in final preparation to baptize humanity with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, Paul urges believers to receive the wisdom and revelation of God so that we may see with the eyes of our heart and live from God’s interior nourishing rootedness the justice, respect, and Belovedness of Christ in whose image we are created.
Today’s Prayer Practice
I was reminded by one of the participants in our Retreat and Small Group Leadership Training class of the imperative nature of deeply rooting systemic identity, personal identity, and community identity in Christ alone. Today you are invited to pray Visio Divina with a video clip from The Lion King.
Please review the video two times. Upon first viewing it, simply become familiar with the video. On the second viewing notice the role of the Baboon as guide, Simba’s arduous journey to claim his true identity, and his hesitancy to live into his truest image of God transfiguring his inward self-perspective and outward actions. Discover how God is inviting you to claim and live courageously from your deep roots of Christian identity. “The Remember Who You Are” clip is found here.
After the second viewing:
- Join me in praying for God to raise up a leader, like Martin Luther King Jr. to guide Christians into deep rootedness of Christlikeness.
- Consider your circle of influence. How will you stand in solidarity with those that have lost much and suffered at the hands of gun violence, systemic hate, and oppressive injustice?
- Call your circle and circles of influence around you to notice our weakness of Christian identity and lean into the power of Christ.
- Who is your guide to discover again your truest identity in Christ?
Please share this post with your networks.
Enjoy praying.
