Marketing the Most Undesirable Thing Ever

Just after the table of contents of Richard Rohr's book Everything Belongs, we find this statement/poem entitled Inherent Unmarketability

How do you make attractive that which is not?
How do you sell emptiness, vulnerability and non-success?
How do you talk about descent when everything is about ascent?
How can you possibly market letting-go in a capitalist culture?
How do you present Jesus to a Promethean mind?
How do you talk about dying to a church trying to appear perfect?
This is not going to work
(which might be my first step).

The book is about contemplative prayer and how it is a great gift given to us but often not appreciated in the Western expression of the Church. These questions push against the temptation of the Church (and her leaders) to be more relevant and spectacular and powerful.

"How do you sell emptiness, vulnerability and non-success?" 

You can't. 

The Gospel is not something we sell. It is not something that has a slick marketing campaign and it is not something that comes with guaranteed success, wealth, and/or luxury. It is the very thing that calls us to abandon those idols and leads us to the cross. For it is through the cross, where we die to ourselves, that we place our hope. 

Success in the Church is just different. It looks like broken and contrite spirits. It looks like mercy and not sacrifice. It looks like doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God.

That sort of life does not get you famous or many followers. It may even be considered unsuccessful. 

But success is not what we are hoping for. We are hoping for resurrection.

The One Church Plan Converts, Other Plans Compliance

Rules encourage compliance. Jesus set us free from rules by the Grace of God. As such we convert to God's love, not comply out of compulsion. 

In all the chatter online about the different plans the UMC is looking at to be in ministry with the LGBTQ community, it seems there is a gap in the conversation. Specifically, what do we desire - conversions or compliance. It seems to me that there is only one plan that puts conversion at the center, while other plane put compliance at the center. Let me try to explain.

Imagine you are a person who believes that LGBTQ marriage/ordination is God's desire. The UMC can pass a plan that requires everyone to comply with the rule or get out of the church. Likewise, imagine you are a person who believes that LGBTQ marriage/ordination is not what God desires. The UMC can pass legislation (such as the Traditionalist plan) that requires everyone to comply with the rules or get out of the church. 

Compliance is not what the love of God is about. The Love of God is all about conversion. Christ is in the conversion ministry and the Church continues in that effort. That is what disciple making is about - converting hearts to return to God in Christ. 

So if you believe that your position on LGBTQ marriage/ordination is correct, then how would you convert those who do not hold your position? You remain in connection with them, showing them your way of life and continue to pray that the Spirit will convert hearts. You don't kick them out of the church because the hope for conversion of hearts is greatly diminished. 

The One Church Plan is critical to the mission because it is the only plan that keeps conversion at the center. If we really believe that we know what is right/just/God's will then we would be compelled to be in relationship with those who disagree with us so that God may use us to convert hearts. 

If you are a Traditionalist or a Progressive, consider what your end game is. Do you want compliance or are you sold out in love with Jesus Christ to work with the Holy Spirit to be conduit of the conversion of hearts? For this reason, I am in support of the One Church plan because I believe that the world is better off with more conversions to Jesus.

If you too believe in the conversions to Christ over compliance to rules then tell your church leadership about how the One Church Plan is the plan given to us as a gift from God to convert people to the love of Christ. 

Drawn To Less Vacation

Photo by Esther Wiegardt on Unsplash

Summer vacations are wonderful. The idea of getting away from it all and unplugging from responsibilities and technology. To do what is desired in a place that is not home. The weather, the beach, the mountains, the food, the family, the friends - all are wonderful things. However, I am drawn to having less vacation. 

There is value in getting away and resting. The commandments to honor the Sabbath and keep it holy are biblically rooted and psychologically beneficial. However, there is a difference in sabbath and vacation. There is a difference from rest and "getting away".

Vacations give us permission to "vacate." Escapism is very popular and fun. Vacating or escaping is not evil or harmful. In small doses it can be the reprieve that is needed to give energy to fight another day. And therein is the seed of the problem of vacations - they give energy to keep fighting rather than providing the resources to stop the fight. 

Religious traditions of all sorts have the practice of pilgrimage. Some might say that life itself is a pilgrimage, but more often than that the word pilgrimage calls to mind going on a specific type of trip. The pilgrimage trip is different from a vacation for a number of reasons and one of those is that the pilgrimage is to help gain a different perspective of life. This perspective gaining is so that when we return to our lives, we better know which battles are worth fighting or perhaps how to fight differently. Vacations do not allow space for this sort of perspective taking because on vacation we are encouraged to "get away" from your life. Pilgrimage asks us to engage our lives differently. 

Vacations and pilgrimages both have rest built into them. Both are helpful, but for different reasons. Vacations can help us catch our breath in the ocean of life, pilgrimage can help us lean to trust in the buoyancy of God.