| Putting On Your Church Faces As a child of the ‘60s and ‘70s, one of my favorite cartoons was The Jetsons. As a young adult in the ‘80s, The Golden Girls entertained me. Jane Jetson and Blanche Devereaux both used the expression, “Let me put on my face.” In each of their comedic situations they felt a need to make themselves more presentable before a video phone call (Jane) or entertaining a visitor (Blanche). Our typical practice of “doing church” and interacting in our world finds us often in the place of being asked, “How are you?” and responding, “I am fine/good/well!” I am fairly successful at asking and responding to this in English, Spanish, and ASL. I would not likely enjoy explaining how not fine I am on any given Sunday or daily encounter. Life is often not as simple as we envisioned or as we wish it were. I find myself “putting on my face” much more often than I should. I have participated in an RMCC book study on Wednesday evenings via Zoom for several years. As a group, we have become quite close. This past week, while discussing the book Fierce Love by Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis we shared ways we struggle in ministry individually and together, thinking about how we work to be as inclusive in the church as we ask of our world. Drawn from chapter 6 of Fierce Love: If we want to cultivate an inclusive community of love in our world and in our church, we must elevate the importance of: 1. Community Support 2. Collective Well-being 3. Sustained Mutual Respect, Care, and Connection How can we move beyond putting on our church faces and advance our relationships to deeper connections? How can we be more engaged and invested with each other? My habit of saying or signing that I am fine, even when I am not, may restrict the three essential elements that Rev. Dr. Lewis identifies. We must be more open and real with each other. Canadian-American actor and model Pamela Anderson has recently made a splash in the media by going without makeup. Although we may not all wish to be that raw as we encounter our world, a lesson may be drawn as we strive to be more real and more authentic with each other, sharing what we feel in a safe and authentic inclusive community of faith. I am possibly preaching the loudest to myself with this message as I have learned and been conditioned to keep everything to myself, retreat, or withdraw. True, I have been burned and hurt many times, but I want to do better at sharing with my RMCC family because I know that if I do, together, we will be a better and more inclusive place to minister in our unique place within our world. I deeply love y’all, individually and collectively! Together, we can make a difference with less face or mask. Love God.Love people.Change the world! Amen, |
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| Dr. Larry Ponder Director of Senior Adult Ministry (OWLS) |