Today was another day attending different committee meetings, and once again, I was struck by two things. The first was the acknowledgement that all of us are different, with different views, and that when we are considering issues of social justice around the world, there are people on multiple sides of all the issues, and all have sinned and all have done good. There was talk of the need for humility as we struggle with knowing how to make statements longing for God's justice to become a reality for all people. People talked with passion for their own positions, but I heard respectful passion. And that relates to the second thing that caught my attention: there was a real attempt by the committee members to be gentle with each other, and for acknowledging that any statements they produce for the full General Assembly to vote on need to include a respect for gentleness in how we approach one another around the world. I heard commissioners acknowledging their own positions with humor, and heard their fellow commissioners supporting them as people, even if they did not agree with their positions.
Again, this is giving me hope for our church. From our congregations to presbyteries to synods to the General Assembly, we are not all going to agree with each other on everything, and if we come to the table with humility about our own humanity and can treat each other with gentleness and respect, we can build true community. What a gift that could be to our mission partners around the world, and indeed, to everyone from our own communities to the people of the world!
Tomorrow afternoon we move from committee meetings to the full gathering of all the commissioners to vote on the various overtures. I offer a prayer that the love of Christ I wrote about yesterday, and the humility and gentleness from today, fill the work that we do as the larger body.
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