In Our Fullness

Have you ever noticed how much of life is preparing for the next step? I remember as a child being told in classrooms that what I was learning in that moment would be important for the next grade. I remember being in high school and having teachers tell us what would and wouldn't be accepted and allowed in college. Then, in college, we would sit in lecture halls while our professors would inform us of what we needed to do to be successful as we sought out jobs or journeyed on in higher education.

It was a very strange feeling to be ordained. Suddenly, all of those steps that I had in front of me were behind me. I had met my educational requirements, gone through candidacy, passed my interviews, and could now serve as a full Elder in the church. So what comes next?

In this week's Scripture reading, Jesus offers a futuristic message for what is now and what is to be. I'm struck though by a major difference in his message and in my experience growing up. The future that Jesus speaks of, that we are invited to imagine and strive for, is a collective future. All of those future steps I was preparing for throughout my education were individual.

With his "blessings and woes", Jesus's words in Luke 6:17-26, radically differ from the ways in which many of us have been taught to prepare. Honestly, for those of us who find ourselves with significant privilege, this text can feel frightening, threatening even.

Yet what if we take a step back to remember that we are not merely individuals in this world but part of the body of Christ? How might we hear this text anew as the Good News that it is, and joyfully join into preparation not only for our own success but for a world in which all can exist with wellness and wholeness?