Seeing Each Other with New Eyes - By Bishop G

            Dear Friends,

            Years ago, I attended a retreat of sorts that made a big impression on me.  It was focused on learning about how people behave when they work in groups. I was in a group with eight clergy and lay people from all over the country – Maine, Texas, New York and Alabama.  I didn’t like most of the people at the beginning of the week, but by week’s end, because we shared who we were, even in clumsy ways, I realized I appreciated them all, and saw many of their gifts.

            For some, I even felt love. Not because I willed myself to like them, or because of some virtue I have, but because God makes stone hearts, flesh hearts, even when we’re not sure that’s necessary.  As we trust God, we’re helped to move past our preconceived ideas about each other and seeing each other differently gives us new eyes.

            Have you ever noticed when you try and share your gifts with each other in church? You almost always have to work with a group. It’s hard to be a Christian all by yourself, we need each other. And how we behave has some impact on every person around us.

            Almost every week somehow, I relearn that when it comes to people, things are not usually what they seem. How people look from the outside, doesn’t always tell us what’s going on inside. Someone’s silence may mean they’re angry, or hurt, confused, or feeling alone. They may be silent because they can’t hear well, or for no reason at all.

            A wise professor once told me that I would be better off if I could approach every person, not as a problem we want to solve but as a mystery we have encountered.  C.S. Lewis once wrote that there are no ordinary people, that every person we encounter is actually not only a child of God, but a God or Goddess, that as we walk together we may begin to discover we actually will be tempted to worship.  Next to the holy sacrament, Lewis writes, “your neighbor is the holiest object presented to our senses…because in him Christ is hidden.”         

            There’s a story in John’s gospel about a wedding where they run out of wine and risk embarrassing the bride and groom’s families.   Jesus’ mother pleads for Jesus to save their dignity by providing more wine.  Jesus was always doing that. God wants us to have dignity. Wants us to believe we’re worthwhile. After all, he died to save us. But sometimes, through our troubles, we have trouble hearing that message.

            I remember a time when I had lost my job. I was upset with myself.  Someone had treated me unfairly, hurt me, but I turned my anger inside, I believed the fault was all mine. I was afraid maybe I wasn’t worthwhile or valuable. I forgot that most real hurts are complicated and all humans are imperfect, broken vessels and also God’s children. A dear friend saw my doubt and told me otherwise. She reminded me I had talent and value beyond my wildest dreams. At the time, it was like a lifeline. Hearing her gentle, confident voice gave me confidence and hope. She reminded me I was loved. She was standing in for God.

             God works that way. He gives us the people we need the most, the messages we need to hear, sometimes even in broken clumsy vessels. What we see through them is a glimpse of what God hopes for us. A hint of eternal life.  I am grateful for God’s grace that invades my life  bringing good news I can’t give myself.  I am grateful for our communities of faith where lifesaving, life-giving love is shared everyday. Thanks be to God for your ministry. 

I hope I see you at church somewhere soon.