Read:  John 15:1-17

We live in a time when people are less institutional, less inclined to join organizations.  There are multiple reasons why, some better than others.   Where does that leave churches, though?  Why should people even consider joining a church?  Membership in a church, I would humbly suggest, is different than membership at a country club or a charitable non-profit.  Church membership, in its truest form, is about being part of a covenant community where people promise to model the way of God’s love and grace together, through practices like prayer, being present with and for one another, sharing gifts and resources, serving others, and engaging the world by taking a stand for love and justice.  This article explores the membership promise/practice of presence.  

Showing up is important.  To be a part of any team, organization, church, or community, you have to be in regular attendance.  Presence is a little different, though.  Presence is showing up with a heart of love.  It is not only being present but also engaged, caring deeply.  Showing up is good, but presence is life-giving.

As I look back on the church of my childhood, my faith journey was shaped by the simple presence of many faithful people:  the usher who passed out pieces of candy to the children each week as we came into the worship service, the kind smile of the pastor, Dr. Rowan (I don’t remember any of his sermons, but I do remember his smile), the Sunday School teacher who showed up week after week and endured with grace our awkward transition from childhood to teenage years, the ones who came and served meals at the youth dinner each week.  There are so many others.

Think back on your own journey.  Name the people who were present for you.  Say a short prayer of thanks for each one of them.

True presence is a promise to give ourselves to one another in a community of love and grace.  It doesn’t mean we are perfect or that we will always agree.  It just means we will honor one another, respect one another, and disagree with love above all else.  Presence gives room to one another for growth and change.  A presence that is holy transcends political rivalries and differences, theological debates and ideas, even petty conflicts that arise in the ordinary events of life.  It holds together in good times and exhibits its strength in difficult times. 

This is why we promise our presence to children when they are baptized.  When a person joins the church community, they promise presence to the church, and the members of the church promise it right back to them. 

Presence comes from the very heart of Jesus.  In Jesus, God chose to be present with human beings.  He wanted to share our humanity, our grief and struggles, as well as our joy and celebrations.  He wanted to run with us into the hope of a good future and walk with us down the roads of this world’s sufferings.  He wanted, and still wants, to be present in love.

When Jesus said, “I am the vine and you are the branches.”  (John 15:5), he was talking about a life of being present to one another.  It was as if he was saying, “Remain in me…stay with me…I care so much for you and my joy will be so much more complete when our lives are connected.”  Jesus is present to us and wants us to be present to him.

Jesus takes this even further.  He wants us to be present to one another in the same way.  In what would be one of his last commandments, his final words to friends and disciples, he said, “love each other just as I have loved you.”  (John 15:12)  Being present with Jesus leads to a relationship of presence with others.

In a world of so many shallow, superficial relationships, where people have only agendas or needs to be met, presence asks us to invest in authentic and mutual relationships that don’t ask, “what’s in it for me?”  Presence asks us to go beyond relationships limited by agreement on any particular topic or idea.  It asks us to consider perspectives of difference, to hold one another in love, and to give space to grow.  Anything less is a fragile relationship that, in the end, fails to trust the power of love. 

This is why the promise of presence is in our membership vows.  It is also why such a promise is counter-cultural, radical really.  It invites us into the presence of Jesus and thereby into a community of grace with others, one in which loves transcends all other things.  This kind of community, with Jesus and people, is healing and life-giving.  It can shape lives.  It can stand across the tragic gap that divides so many people from one another today. 

Together we are the hands and feet of Christ,

Brett

If God is calling you to become a member of Christ Church United Methodist, we would love to share this discipleship life with you.  Please visit Christ Church UM Membership for more information and next steps.