The Life Of The Church

But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

- 1 Corinthians 12:18-27

The church looks entirely different when it's organized around its weakest, most vulnerable members. My perspective on church life and its organizational structures changed dramatically one Sunday at a worship service. 

I had accompanied a lady with a developmental disability that day who loves engaging God's presence in worship with all His people. We were in the midst of worship, but my heart and mind were far removed from the heart of God. I was grudgingly singing along with the worship set, complaining to myself that the music performed that day did not suit my preference, the lyrics in my mind lacked theological rigor and depth, the message not "spiritual" enough, etc. 

I turned over to check on my client and was immediately convicted by my pettiness. There she stood out in the aisle, arms outstretched to the lover of her soul, dancing with abandon to the One who loves us most. 

I nervously glanced around me, averting eye contact, expecting people to be annoyed by the "distraction". Again, I was humbled as those around us were swept up by the Spirit of God - uncontainable joy beamed across that room. People were clearly moved by the pleasure of God, as His beloved child worshipped Him in "spirit and in truth" (John 4:23, 24).  An atmosphere of grace covered us, as she responded with uninhibited spontaneity to the Spirit, and those around us were refreshed by the fresh winds of the Spirit.

She is simply one-among-many limbs to the body of Christ, but I realized that day that people with developmental disabilities have a unique, contributing role in the church. Her heart compensates for whatever might be lacking intellectually, and consequently, she offers the gift of spiritual sensitivities and responsiveness as the Spirit of God moves among His people.    

Always On His Mind

When I consider your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,

the son of man that you care for him?

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings

and crowned him with glory and honor.

- Psalm 8:3-5

I work with a man who is compelled to write notes of encouragement to everyone he can. He always has his pen and pad of paper ready at hand for every available moment to write yet another message to someone who comes to mind. In fact, he had written so many notes to me and my family that he ended up giving me a big box to file and save them. I'm not sure how extensive his mailing list is, but everyday he carries a load of envelopes spilling out of his briefcase, representing his ever-widening circle of friendships.

Recently, at a Special Needs Ministries conference at a local church, his Dad, one of the panelists on a Forum, shared some of the challenges and joys of raising a child with special needs. He highlighted a number of unique gifts that his son shares with the people in his life, and mentioned in passing his son's love of writing notes to others. The entire crowd of people nodded their heads knowingly. He remarked that while his son would typically only write a brief line or two, the message behind those countless notes were not defined by words, but moreover, "you're on his mind".

One particular note with a simple message scrawled out across the page stands out in my mind, "God loves you Dallas, and so do I". Our sovereign Creator is mindful of me in my infinitesimal corner of this vast universe. How could it be that God could personally care about me? Does God not have more pressing concerns to attend to; global conflicts, poverty, injustice?

I don't pretend to have the answers to unanswerable questions, but my big box of overflowing notes have convinced me that I am loved, I am not alone, God cares deeply about every personal detail in my life. His profoundly simple notes communicate something that mere words can't; they speak into our lives of God's presence among us, His constant availability: God is always thinking of us. 

       

All God's Little Ones

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

- Matthew 19:14

And Jesus said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

- Matthew 18:13

I work with a man who loves to greet everyone who crosses his path. There's days when I feel that I've met and been introduced to the entire multicultural city of Calgary, crossing lines of cultural, ethnic, generational, religious and gender barriers.  Like a child, he doesn't interpret people by the way that they look, he reads their hearts. 

To be honest, I don't always appreciate being thrust into the public spotlight and at times I inwardly cringe as he makes his rounds through a crowded train or a busy shopping centre, and yes, he is growing to learn proper social boundaries, respecting other's personal space. 

Yet, I can't deny the positive influence he has on the hundreds of strangers he connects with daily. People's stunned reactions to my client's intrusive friendliness never cease to amuse me. A typical conversation might run something like this at the top of his lungs:

Client: Good Morning (actually, it's 2PM)

Stranger: Huh? Oh. Hi.

Client: How are you today?

Stranger: Um...I'm okay. How are you?

Client: Good! And you?

Stranger: Uh, yes...I'm still good, thank you for asking. Again.

Client: Have a good day now. God bless you!

Stranger: And you too!

In between formalities he might include some personal information pressing on his mind that day; a hockey game, a death of a relative years ago, his plans for the weekend, and of course, he'll be sure to introduce me as well so that we don't depart as strangers. So profoundly simple: In an increasingly privatized world of isolation, where next-door neighbours no longer even know each other's names, there's something refreshing about his childlike lack of inhibitions and openness. So very simple, and yet his common sense is regrettably uncommon. 

Very rarely, does his unassuming friendliness cause offense, and he often intuitively senses when he is violating other's boundaries and will turn his attention to another willing listener. Quite the contrary actually, most people welcome the non-threatening exchange of pleasantries and the exposure into his open heart. As self-protective and guarded as the human condition is, people are surprisingly receptive to the openness of his spirit. So often I've seen a downcast face and heavy heart turn into a wonder-invoking smile and lightheartedness after a refreshingly simple conversation. Somehow, his good neighbourliness serves to bless, encourage and welcome people into God's inviting presence.

Jesus reprimanded his disciples for preventing the children of entering into his loving embrace, as children in that age were dismissed as a "waste of time". I'm learning that God often is "wasteful",  and I wonder how often I block God's extravagant love among His little ones?

Unless we become like a child...I wonder what the world would look like if we all shared his childlike gift of friendliness, and vulnerably risked opening our hearts to our neighbours?      

Last Things First

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

- 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

- Mark 10:31

I confess that when I first began working as a support worker with people with developmental disabilities I had a "teacher's complex". I was their "staff" and they were my "clients", I was a "professional" and they needed my expertise. To be sure, the people I work with do need various capacities of support, but something has changed over the years; I now see that the tables have turned as they have been teaching me about matters of the heart, the things that matter most to God. Consequently, I've been reordering my priorities and putting first things first. 

A coworker of mine referred to this field as an "education of the heart". It's possible for our minds to be overdeveloped, while our hearts are underdeveloped.  People with developmental disabilities have a remarkable way of reaching one's heart, encouraging me to grow relationally, and challenging my incapacity to freely give and receive love. Admittedly, I'm a slow learner, but my heart is unmistakably growing. 

God has evidently chosen the marginalized, often overlooked, rejected and unwanted, and turned the world's values of productivity, competitiveness and efficiency on its head. Those who have been pushed aside to the margins of society have a central role in God's up-side-down Kingdom. What if we were to provide space and learn from the perspective of those on the margins, looking at the world from an unfamiliar angle? I see this blog as an exploration of those creative margins, from the least likely and most unexpected places, moving in the way of the heart into the centre of God's will.