Greetings Saints in the Ecumenical Community
As I write, it is Election Day; as you read, that day is past and a different political environment is coming into focus. As most of today and all of tomorrow are before me, I am pondering how the church will respond in the next political context. Here's what I believe at the beginning of an election day.
I firmly believe, as urged in I Timothy 2:1, that Christians should pray for "all who are in high positions"; regardless of who is elected, as Christians we will continue to pray for all leaders. That will not change tomorrow.
I firmly believe, according to Jesus' words in Matthew 25:31-46, that our deeds of compassion and work for justice among the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, the imprisoned demonstrate our true loyalties. That will not change tomorrow.
I firmly believe, as described by Paul in II Corinthians 5:16-21, that the church has been given a message and a ministry of reconciliation. That will not change tomorrow.
Therefore, as your sister in Christ, I appeal to you to pray for all in high positions, to offer mercy and justice to all in need and to be persistent in announcing the promise of and working for reconciliation. The world may feel, politically, different on the day after any election, but in truth the expectations on Christ's followers remain remarkably the same. To borrow the title from a good book by Eugene Peterson, we are called to A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.
In keeping with that long obedience, here at the New Mexico Conference of Churches, we have initiated a search for a new leader. We ask your assistance in seeking the right candidate. The job description, the search process and the supporting documents are on the website (http://nmchurches.org/ ). Please take a few minutes to review the materials and to consider those in your community you might encourage to apply. A few words to guide your reflection:
- Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. I John 3:2a; the NMCC position is for a part time director, but whether that position remains part time has not yet been revealed. Do you know someone willing enter a ministry that has yet to be revealed?
- The Board is open to new ways of "being ecumenical." In the past we sought to bring together churches/denominations with a history of relating ecumenically. In the future, our expression of ecumenism may reach beyond the familiar and into new partnerships and relationships - while keeping our center the exploration and articulation of an authentic faith as followers of Jesus. Do you know someone eager to find Christ's work outside the walls/boundary lines of the churches we know and love?
- The Board adopted sustainability as a necessary dimension for the work of the new director. By reducing the position from full to part-time, by sharing our space with other ministry partners and by promoting rather than initiating good works across the state, the Board demonstrates confidence in the choice to engage ecumenically through a balance of possibilities and resources. Is there someone among your circle of Christian friends who is gifted with imagination and is lighthearted in the face of inter-church and extra-church relationships?
