Stewarding the Mysteries of God

Gandhi said, “Remember: everything you do is utterly insignificant, but it is absolutely important that you do it!” Faith envisions and enspirits a world that is not yet seen. Faith liberates people in personal struggles and from conditions of injustice. Faith affirms life is a gift from God and we all belong to God! Grace heals and reconciles the brokeness we experience. Life is not about perfection………it’s about perfecting our loving...

Three Responsibilities for Ministry

1. Comfort
   This is the realm of healing, renewal and pastoral care.
2. The Prophetic
   The church also exists to critique society; we unmask situations of injustice and exploitation so they can be mended.
3. The Imaginative (Constructive)
   We have a joyful responsibility to see ourselves in new ways; to express new possibilities for being human; to imagine ways for honoring and encouraging the dignity of all people as we build the Beloved Community on earth.
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The Context for Ministry in this New Millennium

• New Cosmology
  Who are we in this magnificent universe of multiple galaxies?
• Mysticism
  People need to experience their faith: “You are God’s Beloved” must become a reality for people or the faith won”t matter.
• Justice – Shalom
  The Biblical mandate is for equitable relations among all people and creatures. Our choice is no longer between violence and nonviolence but between nonviolence and nonexistence.
• Eco-theology/Interbeing
  We must reflect, pray and live within an “Interconnected Wholeness”. We can no longer see ourselves as separate from other living beings. We inter-are with all life.
• Interfaith – God’s universe is a living garden – a unity in diversity. Our great challenge today is to accept there are many religions and religious experiences while recognizing that there is one origin and one goal for all of us. We have to live with this paradox without denying our oneness or distinctions. A difficult but essential affirmation.