Getting Up Close

I grew up in the 90’s and like many other Christian children I was raised on the Donut Man, Veggie Tales, and Adventures and Odyssey. Every episode was a lesson in how to grow in my relationship with God and others. I was blessed to attend Christian schools where I was taught to memorize scriptures about doing justice and loving mercy, or the greatest commandment to love God and the second commandment being to love others. In Sunday school I was told stories of the Good Samaritan who stopped to help a man he should have hated.

As intended, these things shaped me into being a human who loves Jesus and His ways. I still am amazed at the way He radically accepted those who were outcasted and bravely spoke truth to the Pharisees.

Here we are in a politically polarized climate and the very thing I was taught to do to “be the light,” has been politicized. Caring for our cities isn’t about which side of the aisle any of us stands on. The standard we are held to as Jesus followers was set long before modern politics existed, and it does not shift with an election cycle. Our call is to look like Him, not to look like any platform. Not only that, but our ability to walk in unity with Christians who believe differently than us has all but disappeared. This incongruence has brought the deepest form of confusion my heart has known.

It has brought feelings of betrayal and loss beyond what words can articulate.

It has brought fear of being misunderstood by those who I respected for so long.

And it has brought deep conviction that followers of Jesus need to be reminded of who and whose we are.

I live and work with a lot of people who are passionate about seeing revival in the Church. Often what is meant by that is powerful worship services where people meet God in powerful ways. I want that too. I want people to come to know Jesus, be transformed, and healed. I want the stories of addicts being set free, and people being touched by Holy Spirit in ways that are beyond my imagination. But that’s not all I pray for. I also pray for revival in the form of Jesus followers living like Jesus. Like the way that He chose fishermen as friends instead of political figures, the way He brought together outcasts and society’s business leaders. The way that He responded to polarizing questions by pointing to the Kingdom of God. Always keeping the main thing, the main thing.

In the last couple of years, I have been honored to be a part of efforts around the United States (and even the world) that are dedicated to thinking like this.

I long to see the church take her place as stewards of our cities. Civic engagement is good, and I believe Jesus followers should be faithful, engaged citizens. But our calling as the church is higher than civic engagement. It isn’t a preference or a political position; it is an instruction from God. Both our civic engagement and our calling to care for the least of these means we need to understand not only the needs of our communities, but why those needs exist.

“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:7)

If the exiles in Babylon were encouraged to seek the welfare of a city that was “not theirs,” how much more are we as believers to care for those in our city? What I have noticed is that in the circles where Jesus followers are taking this seriously, ecosystems are coming together in cities. Not only that, but the needs are being understood, the needs are collaboratively being met, and systemic problems are shifting.

These are the questions I keep coming back to, both in my own city and in the conversations I get to have with churches, nonprofits, and leaders across the country. I write here because I believe the church still has an unmatched opportunity to lead this work, and I would love for you to walk through it with me. In the coming weeks I’ll be sharing more of what this looks like in practice, the leaders getting it right, and the kind of infrastructure that helps a church move from good intentions to sustained action.

Today I leave Jesus followers with a couple of questions:

·      Do you know the history of your area and the places of pain and promise that exist in it?

·      Are you familiar with the deepest historic needs of your city as well as what the most current pressing needs are?

·      Is your business, nonprofit, or church connected to a larger ecosystem in your city?

·      Who are the key people in your city who are doing the front line of work?

·      If someone came up to you on a Sunday morning in need of assistance where would you bring them?

I don’t have all the answers to these yet either. But I would rather wrestle with them alongside people who care about our neighbors in need rather than seeking their own gain.

If you resonate with this, welcome. You are not alone. I’ll keep sharing what I’m learning, and I’d love for you to keep asking these questions with me.