Called to be a Courageous Community -- Newsletter Piece

So what makes for a courageous community? As I first think about it I see a couple of ways to take that title.

Is a community courageous because the people who make it up are all courageous and bold? OR...
Does the fact that a community is courageous together make the individuals within it bolder and more courageous? [I think it is probably a bit of both – I tend to answer either/or questions with “both”.]

As I look at the story of Christianity it appears that boldness and courage are hallmarks of our predecessors. To be part of a movement that proclaims an alternative way of being in the world takes courage, wisdom (or folly, or both), and the deep sense that we are not alone in the endeavour. There are many stories of boldness and courage in the history of the church.

Sometimes our communities are courageous because we have members who take a stand and work, often loudly and incessantly, for change. The United Church as a whole and St. Paul’s in particular has a history of these voices. Locally, the people from this congregation who pushed for both the Friendship Centre and Odyssey House showed courage, conviction, and a willingness to use the power they had to make a difference in Grande Prairie. More recently, the people who have led us in the work of exploring what it means to be a place that truly welcomes and affirms all people have shown personal courage and have helped us to be more courageous as a whole.

I think of the “reverse parade” for Canada Day 2020. People came and decorated bulletin boards that we then lied up along the streets. Those boards had messages talking about issues that some would call divisive: Black Lives Matter, Truth and Reconciliation, Gender Identity and Sexuality. There was a time (within my lifetime) when few people from outside the affected communities would dare to raise such issues. On that day most people either ignored our boards as they drove by or gave us a friendly wave. There were a few who were less appreciative. It was a risk to share those messages, it would have been safer to simply have typical Canada Day messaging and decoration. Because of the leadership and creativity of some people we became a more courageous congregation.

Sometimes the reverse happens. Some of us are not born risk-takers, we may prefer to play it safe and not trouble the waters. We worry about what might happen if we step “out of line”. But when we know that we are not alone it becomes easier to take the risk. Sometimes we are individually courageous because our group is courageous. I know that I am more able to take risks, to share less popular ideas because of my experience within groups that have supported and sustained me, I am sure I am not the only one. [Which then feeds the courage of the group as a whole, that then feeds the individuals and a growth loop is created.]

And then there is God (you knew I had to work God in here somewhere right?). God calls and challenges us to be courageous and bold. God calls us to take risks, even risking becoming an outcast, or worse, for the sake of God’s vision of how the world should be. Remember that Jesus told (and tells) his followers that they had (have) to be willing to take up their cross and follow him. In Jesus’ context being willing to take up a cross was being willing to face death.

At the same time God helps us answer that call to be courageous. The evidence I have of that is the fact that the church survived and grew after Jesus’ crucifixion. Even with their experience of Easter it would have been understandable if Jesus’ followers chose the safe path of hiding, remaining underground, only sharing the story with deeply trusted friends. But, filled with the Holy Spirit, exuberant with the Good News, they didn’t do that. God helped them to be bold and take risks as they shared the story of faith. We are not alone. God helps us to be bold and courageous as we share God’s vision for what the world should be.

At this point in time we as a congregation know that we need to make changes. We need to do church in a different way so that our voice will continue to be heard, so that our understanding of God’s Dream will still be shared in Grande Prairie. Change is always a risk. Change often means we give something up in exchange for something else. We need to continue to be courageous as we seek the new way we will be the church.

Please pray with me friends:

God of life, God of resurrection, Source of hope,
help us, as individuals and as a community, to be bold and courageous.
Fill us with excitement for what can be.
Remind us that we are not alone as we take risks.
In a world where there are so many negative voices,
help us hear the voices cheering us on
more than the voices that might disapprove of our choices.
And as the old hymn¹ says:
God of grace and God of glory,
on your people pour your pow’r;
crown your ancient Church’s story,
bring its bud to glorious flow’r.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
for the facing of this hour, for the facing of this hour.
We pray in the name of the Risen Christ, our guide, teacher, and friend.
Amen.

¹ God of Grace and God of Glory by Henry Emerson Fosdick, #686 in Voices United words taken from https://hymnary.org/text/god_of_grace_and_god_of_glory

I found this on Facebook as I was preparing this column