The heart of the Movement

I think it was around 2014 when I came to be part of the UCA. Our family had moved to a new neighbourhood, in the northern suburbs of Adelaide. In that very needy region there were 3 dying UCA congregations, but there was also a project of bringing them together to form a new congregation. Three buildings becoming one, three congregations becoming one. I was fascinated by the possibilities and as soon as the new building was ready and the services started, we joined in. not long afterwards I was introduced to the Basis of Union- the funding document for the UCA. And I feel in love with the movement that was there described. Three denominations becoming one, three sets of theology finding one expression. We all know that it wasn’t perfect, and it isn’t perfect. But it is something special.

Every movement starts based on an ideal: this is what we want to do, to change, to transform. It’s the reason behind, what takes us forward, what inspires us. Movements are then strengthen by principles: this is who we are, the reason we act this way, what we believe in and how we intend to live it out.

But usually movements that grow, sooner or later, become institutions. The need for regulations, for accountability, for order… take the movement to a place where rules and regulations are needed. And then the romantic feeling about that idea that started everything tends to die. It’s usually then that we can forget who we are and why we do what we do.

Story of the lifesaving club in America.

Can the movement become an institution and still remain pure, holy, sacred? I believe it can. But only if we keep the heart of that movement alive. The centre of the movement can never change and it has to stir everything else we do.

The heart of Christianity is love. Not the structure, not the buildings, not the cathedrals: love. The love of God that has reached us first and that allows us, empowers us, to love God, to love ourselves and to love others.

Every movement, sooner or later, will need structure. And structures need to be safe. We like houses that stand, cars that don’t fall apart. We like societies that don’t crumble. We all need sound structures in order to move ahead safely. When the structures are unsafe we experience fear, insecurity. We are never at peace. But if the structure becomes too hard, inflexible, then the life disappears. It’s not fun anymore. There’s no passion anymore. The tool becomes more important than the initial purpose and not just takes its place, it steals the narrative.

So if you see Christian life as an structure of bricks, unchangeable, then Christian life can become just a long list of do and don’t, where everything has to be the same forever. And when that happens anything that challenges what we believe, what we preach, what we do, becomes a danger to the structure. We don’t tolerate people thinking differently, believing differently, worshiping or praying or meeting or doing mission in a different way. The wall of bricks can give us a false sense of security but it is really killing us by isolating us from everything that we were supposed to love, to serve, to touch with our life.

But imagine that. Imagine that the structure that we have to hold our movement is not a wall, but a trampoline. Yes, a trampoline. A trampoline has a solid metallic structure. It’s solid, it’s strong, it’s firm. But the surface is not solid, it’s elastic, flexible, firm enough for us to play safely but flexible enough for us to have fun, to enjoy what we do. To release us into the air, to propel us higher and higher.                         We have all the great doctrines that hold us together in unity: trinity, the divinity of Christ, his death and body resurrection, salvation by grace. This is solid, this is firm, and this is unchangeable.

But then we have the question of how live this out. That is the question: how do we get this love, this grace, this passion and live it out to make it real right here right now. In the face of the challenges and struggles that we are facing, how can we express our faith, the life of Christ? And we need to face this questions. We need to remain faithful to the origins of this movement that changed the world. This movement that challenged the Roman Empire and overcame it. How do we ask this questions without getting lost? By remembering the heart of it all: love.

Who are call to love? We are call to love God. This is a call for devotion, for us to remember that this relationship is central to everything else we are and do. This is the centre of our relationships. Because I love God and I’m loved by God I can love myself. I can make wise decisions about my life. I can recognize the dignity and value I carry as a son of God, and therefore I’m not going to sell myself short. Because I love God and I’m loved by God I can love others. I can love the church even when I disagree with the church. Because Jesus laid his life for the church I can follow his example. Even when it’s hard to understand, even when it’s hard to explain, I’m still part of it. I can love the lost. I can imagine them not through my eyes of judgement but through the eyes of God. Because God loved me first, I can love them now. The ways love can manifest may differ, but one thing is true: love casts away fear. If my reaction to people that are different, that believe in something different, that live in a different way are marked by fear then I’m not moving in love. Love is risky, love is dangerous. It’s impossible to remain the same in the face of love. We may not like the effect of love, but we need to face it. Love will challenge us, love will change us. Because, ultimately, love wins!