DS Letter May 2010

Reflecting on the lectionary text from the Gospel of John (13:31-35) for May 2nd, I was reminded of how the arts have sought to represent “glory.” My parents would take my sisters and me to museums and we saw row after row of icons of Jesus, Mary, Paul... Every image seemed like a duplicate of the previous picture, all with the circle of “glory” around the head of the particular figure. It was as if someone put a “post it note” on the artwork with an arrow pointing at the person saying “holy.” (I always wondered why these artists showed so little imagination. It wasn’t till later that I discovered the devotional focus of iconic work and that they were not designed for display in museums, but in spiritual centers.) As artistic form developed “glory” began to be displayed in a variety of forms including streams of white representing divine light. The challenge is how to represent in external form an internal illumination.

In the church we often refer to glory – doxa – doxology without having an idea of its meaning. We think of it as public “acclaim,” recognition, even credit (give God the glory). In the scriptures, and more particularly in John, Glory was not about externals or recognition. Glory is the quality of God, as in light, that indicates the presence of the holy. When John recounts “Now the Son of Man has been glorified,” it means that Jesus has become transparent to the light of God. God’s luminous character is reflected in Jesus. In the signs and wonders of love we see in Jesus, God is exposed.

The Gospel of John recounts story after story in which the “glory” of God is visible in the love of Christ. Jesus ultimate glorification, according to John, is on the cross. It is here we see God, loving, entering our brokenness, naked to the world. Jesus redefines glory.

The passage from John continues with the new commandment. Jesus announces his time of departure and says in effect, “I have reflected the light of God, now, as disciples/followers, it’s your turn.” How? “Love one another” and people will know you are my disciples. We who follow Jesus are to glorify God, reflect the light of love. We are to be transparent to the love of God. While glorifying God includes devotional life and care for the community, it finds completion in ministries of compassion and justice.

I have been reading Michael Slaughters book “Change the World” which is one of the Rethink Church resources. Rev. Slaughter, a UM pastor at Ginghamsburg, grew his congregation from 50 to 3000 in worship. He has been a sought after “expert” on church growth. However, in reflection on his experience he came to the humble confession that while he had increased the number of “attenders” he had failed to generate and equip “disciples.” For the past several years he has been redirecting his efforts from “getting the people of the world into the church” to “getting the people of the church into the world.” He recounts ministries with people in recovery, missions to Darfur and Haiti and ministries for the unemployed. Such a reorientation invites us to follow Christ as we too enter the world’s brokenness and redefine glory.

It will take a concerted and spiritually grounded effort to undergo such reorientation. We understand membership, maintaining buildings, offering “programs” and gathering for worship. We are less sure about what following Jesus looks like. I refer to this as
Spiritual Praxis,” building relationships of care with our neighbors rooted in the heart of God. One resource the District is seeking to develop is a training experience for leaders in local congregations who would like to initiate a small “covenant discipleship group” to foster Spiritual Praxis. However we pursue this endeavor, we move in the in the Spirit and glory of a Christ who goes before us.
Peace, Mark Ulrickson