From weakness to strength: The Church at work
August 19, 2012 | Anita Retzlaff | Ephesians 5: 15-20, Psalm 34: 9-14, 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10     

Last Sunday several of us shared our experience of attending a one day conference billed as “Survival of the Weakest.” Several keynote speakers, among them Shane Claiborne and Leonard Sweet traveling from the U.S., gave passionate presentations about the future of the church. Their message is clear and forceful: the world has changed so dramatically and so rapidly that worshipping communities must become much more aware of the need around them. If churches are serious about outreach and discipleship (that is, following Jesus) we have to adapt – and quickly!

Shane Claiborne made a bold statement: “Jesus told his followers to ‘go out and make disciples, NOT leaders!” Now isn’t that something to ponder! Disciples not leaders! I assume that Shane has no problem with people who provide leadership but that they must be followers first. We have a plethora of self-help books available today that assist us in developing strong leadership style so that even in the church or especially in the church we are at risk of forgetting that we do not lead alone. Our leadership responsibilities are informed by the fact that we know Whom we follow. This is just one of a series of challenges issued at the Survival of the Weakest event prodding us to reflect on the ways in which the church may have strayed from its God-given mission.
At this point I will ask Renata to share her reflections of this day with you. Her response continues this theme and speaks most specifically to how the church can faithfully follow Jesus right now.

Reflection – Renata Klassen
Survival of the Weakest – Conference memories and challenges

Leonard Sweet used an image that has stayed with me, and continues to prod and challenge me. - The future requires a church that wears Cinderella’s glass slippers. It is small and smart, light of foot, transparent, weak, leaderless and vulnerable.

Sweet stated that the story of the Bible is about people living in weakness with God. “Small actions can change the world,” he said. We do not need to be a majority – we only need critical mass (where two or three are gathered”. In today’s cities, we are trying to create neighbourhoods that have a feel of village, of community. He challenged the church to be the community that our neighbours are looking for. I have been pondering how we do that, not just for ourselves (we are relatively good at it for those of us who have been here for several generations.) How do we do it for the newcomers and seekers?

Sweet said that churches need to be small, flexible, organic, connected, and agile. Stability and order lead to death!!! He suggested that we need to organize around projects, then disband and reform for the next project. I disagree! Some churches that function around projects generate excitement for a while – a week, six weeks, three months, but when they end nothing has fundamentally changed. Christian life is a journey for life. I appreciated his cautionary images: You cannot drive forward safely without a rear view mirror. You can’t pass in the slow lane! But if you use the accelerator, remember to also use the brake.

Sweet also talked about being “the right size.” One size does not fit all. “Place your feet gently,” he said. “Walk with. Not over.” We need “organic churches”. - Celebrate the local. Find the exotic in the indigenous. Who are we? What makes Nutana Park faithful and unique? Success in the future is the resonance of an authentic voice. Live authentically in your neighbourhood. Tell your authentic story. To do that in a way that can be heard by young and old, by “insiders”, as well as “outsiders” – that is our challenge, I think.

Sweet talked about being transparent. We want life to be “more” – more free, more open, more honest, and more responsive. We want more community. “In a global village, we need a village to live in”, he stated. “There are no secrets. Can we live together with integrity and grace? Can we accept each other’s flaws?” He encouraged us by reminding us that faith is practice (verb). – We get better if we practice! Church is a community of practice, not perfection. He suggested that we often have communities of pretend perfection. Rather, he suggested that we help each other practice well. I like to think about what that will look like and what it already looks like – I think of Women’s Bible study group, Young Adult study group, Men’s breakfast! Can we be even more intentional in helping each other practice?

Sweet also told us that to engage our world, we must learn to speak its language, which is not the language of words and ideas linearly expressed. Many people do not talk or think in words today. Advertising uses images and stories. ( I think of the old gentlemen in the BMO ad as one example) This was also the language of the people of Biblical times! Jesus communicated in image and metaphor. We need to read and communicate the Bible metaphorically. Sweet coined a new word for us. Speak in “Narraphor.” - Narrative and metaphor. If we read our Bible through this lens, we will look for the underlying message, not debate nuances of single words and phrases. I hear our pastors preaching this way, and I am grateful.

As we consider together what it means for us to be faithful followers of Jesus today, what kind of shoes are we thinking of wearing?

And so I will continue: with an image - that of weakness. Weakness is of course much more than an image for weakness is a reality in our lives in many and various ways. There are those of us who are experiencing physical weakness. If you have had a heart attack, or a stroke, if you are living with cancer or some other debilitating illness you know that the vigor you once had is just not present for you today. Others of us may be experiencing the weakness that comes from feeling really insecure, personally uncertain, maybe lonely or struggling with a secret or heavy burden. These things make us feel less than on the top of our game. Financial problems or family stresses might make us feel isolated, abnormal or ashamed. Whatever it is that saps our strength and courage, we all know the feeling of weakness and live with its realities. But I think that weakness is also a good image to use to visualize our starting point as followers of Jesus in service to others.

The concept of weakness, and I repeat myself a bit from last Sunday, is that as disciples of Jesus we are followers and healers and providers and the work that we do springs forth, not from a huge power base, but from our individual commitment to following Jesus in whatever state we find ourselves. Weakness is usually a part of our daily reality and so we give as we are able. Our action is not accompanied by big fanfare and applause or comes about as part of a popular and glitzy project but what we do for the least of these, the powerless and the marginalized, we do out of our own weakness and humility. From deep within our own vulnerability and particular weaknesses we reach out to others who are also weak. With God at work in all of us, our weakness becomes strength.

From those places within us that harbour fear of rejection or failure, where we are uncertain about whether we have anything at all to contribute, when we are skeptical that as an individual we can make any difference at all – out of those places we step forward and into the footsteps of our Lord. We serve the world in small and flexible ways. When each one of us does what we can we are following the call of Jesus and making a small but significant difference, one person at a time.

The phrase from the 2 Corinthians text: “…power is made perfect in weakness” forces us to consider the nature of weakness in the sight of God. Can weakness be good and how does power come out of weakness? And why does it appear that the Apostle Paul seems to glorify persecution and calamity? I would say that our 21st century assumption about this reading is NOT what is intended here. I believe that Paul is encouraging his people by speaking about his own troubles. He suffers some serious physical disability and he is often in trouble with the law, in jail and mistreated. Especially, says Paul, when we experience lack or persecution because of what we believe, especially then, the powerlessness of our predicament often translates into something unexpected and redemptive. Paul believes that God’s presence can transform even our biggest fears and burdens. Out of those situations in our lives where we are the weakest and most vulnerable the most meaningful and important encounters and revelations become possible. Because of a particular experience of weakness we develop strength that not only transforms us but others around us. That is not to glorify our struggles but to say that nothing is lost on the breath of God.

Both Leonard Sweet and Shane Claiborne spoke at length about how the church needs to act differently than it has in the past. The church has lost much of its power and influence in our society. It is now in a state of weakness one might say. Maybe now we the church can begin again to do what we have been called to do: reach out to the world from a position of weakness or at least a position that is not dominant. From this vantage point we might make a bigger difference than ever before. From our weakness to the weakness of others! From our strength to their strength! From God’s heart to our hearts!

The difference that we can make as the church is simply our example of hospitality, love and grace. If we aren’t constantly worrying about ourselves, overly concerned about maintaining our organizational structures, buildings and programs maybe we can focus on smaller acts that make a difference to the watching world. Maybe we can make small invitations that make a difference. Maybe we can say small prayers for friends, for the people who don’t like us and maybe that can make a difference – at least to one person at a particular time.

It is kind of like the concept that MEDA embraces. MEDA is the acronym for Mennonite Economic Development Associates. MEDA provides small loans to individual people around the world: really tiny amounts of money to our standards. Small sums of money are loaned to small and insignificant people, as far as the big picture goes. From such a small start-up loan families are able to thrive in places like Zambia, Russia, South America and the Middle East. And that is how we make peace too, you and I! We make peace one encounter at a time: small, seemingly insignificant, some would say, hopeless and much too slow. Not at all! True, we are not changing institutions or government policies but we are living out the example of following the Jesus who extended a second chance by writing in the sand, who blessed children and ate lunch with stinkers.

Now to the business of being a congregation that is able to respond with flexibility and grace! There is one small sentence that we want to include in our weekly bulletins soon. You have read about it in the newsletter already. It will be simple and go something like this: “Nutana Park Mennonite Church welcomes into fellowship and membership all persons who confess faith in Jesus Christ, without regard to their race, ethnic background, gender, age, sexual orientation, education, ability, and other factors which give rise to discrimination and marginalization.” We want to include this as a part of the way in which we live together as a congregation, quietly, without fanfare, without a big commotion.

This simple statement exposes our weakness because we do not all understand a completely open invitation to fellowship and membership in the same way. This may call for us to share our anxieties with each other but not to condemn a differing opinion. This statement invites those who are gay or lesbian to be fully welcomed and accepted here along with all the rest of us who occupy a position of weakness in our society for the multitude of reasons already mentioned. We don’t care if you need a cane to walk into this place or if your skin colour is not beigy-white. We don’t stop people from entering our building if they make less than $20,000 a year and we don’t begrudge those who have needed 10 years of post high school training to make it in this world.

We have been given gifts of family, friends, vocation, money, sport, leisure, age, intimate partnerships, mobility in varying forms, education, food and on and on the list goes. As individual people in the sight of God we have some of these gifts in abundance and others are in short supply while some are non-existent. Together we share the gifts we have and help each other out at our points of weakness and need. We do that well here at Nutana Park. Without a big splash or major uproar we want to frankly state that we welcome our friends in Christ who are lesbian and gay. This is not a big production; it is a small act of hospitality, one that I believe is faithful to following the way of Jesus. This is an act that comes out of our vulnerability as a congregation together and I pray that we can speak to each other and discern our way as a congregation of grace because we are all seeking to be faithful and compassionate. May God go with us all and hold us close.

Let us pray. You are strength and wisdom for us O God. Out of our weakness make us authentic messengers of your grace so that we become wise in your ways. Create in us strong minds and hearts in service to a world in need. May your grace be sufficient for us and your love be the starting point for all that we do in your Name. Bless the work of your Church Lord Jesus and breathe peace upon this assembly. In the name of the One who Was and Who Is and Who is Coming Again. AMEN