The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." So to them he addressed this parable. "What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.
"Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.' In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
Pastor Robyn began her homily with a story about random acts of kindness and their impact and then led into two big ideas: that of theological abuse and the open arms of God. She noted that church leaders often use the language of sin in ways that are abusive and maintain unequal power relations between them and their congregation, making many within the church feel unworthy, guilty, or unaccepted because of who they are or the things they might have done or believe in. This kind of language is used to exclude others and to condemn rather than liberate, used to make them feel lonely and outside of the church and the reach of God contrary to Christ. Even more than lost, it makes them feel shut out. But in contrast, Jesus makes clear in these parables that God is always there, always ready and willing to rejoice in finding the lost and being reconnected. We are loved unconditionally no matter how many times we miss the mark, and God is always there to bring us home and rejoice. "God in Jesus comes to find us."
Pastor Robyn made the point that our brokenness can't compare to the love and grace of God. That love and mercy and forgiveness are a constant gift from God that we not only need, but which is freely given without conditions. And rather than being about feeling guilty or unworthy, sin is really about "not knowing who we are, that we are at one with the ground of being... our identity of oneness." Ultimately, we are all one. One with each other, and one with God (much like Spinoza's monism, i.e., that one infinite substance, God or Nature, is the only substance that exists). Pastor Robyn called God an "attractive field of love" open to all souls and that God is immanent throughout the universe. And I rather liked this idea as I've been reading Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time, so I could very much picture God as this infinitely dense mass or singularity of love whose gravity draws all towards it. And in my mind, I saw sin as those times when we energetically (through our will) turn away from this attractive field of love for whatever reason. But all we have to do is stop and let go and we fall right back home.
After the service, they had a potluck for everywhere followed by an informal meeting between some of the people new to Spirit of Grace and some of the staff and leadership of the community. Part of it was to get to know one another and let us know a little bit more about Spirit of Grace and all of the things going on in case there was a ministry or group we wanted to get more involved with. It was also a chance for them to get to know us and what brought us here. I made it a point to come because I'm already planning on becoming an official member next Sunday and thought it was important to meet some more of the community. I was surprised to find that many of the new people and staff had similar spiritual backgrounds to me, being involved with the Catholic Church, Buddhism, and centering prayer. I met Benneth, who happened to sit right next to me and is one of the teachers of centering prayer along with Gini, as well as a couple who called themselves CaBus, i.e., Catholic Buddhists. (I asked if they'd read Paul Knitter's Without Buddha I Could Not be a Christian, and they hadn't, so I'm definitely planning on passing along my copy to them the next time I see them.) Overall, it seems like a lot of the people at this church started out Catholic, but have been deeply wounded by the Catholic Church or simply no longer find it a welcoming place while still holding aspects of the tradition in their heart. I can certainly sympathize, and appreciate finding a community that combines the best of two Christian traditions that I treasure along with being open to the influences and insights of other faiths, being both ecumenical and interfaith.
One of the things I like about Spirit of Grace, beyond its intentional inclusivity and welcoming nature, is how they really focus on being a community. Not only do they try to get their members and friends to volunteer with the care of the grounds and assist with the worship service, as many churches generally do, they also try hard to help connect people who have similar interests and help those who are in need, delivering food, helping them move, connecting them with rides, etc. It's very much a community of people trying to live a genuine Christian life of love, compassion, contemplation, and service. And for the time being, I'm honoured to count myself among them.
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