St John's, by the grace of the Spirit,
seeks to be an open community,
walking in the way of Jesus,
engaging with an ever-changing world and
living a faith that is timeless yet contemporary,
thoughtful and compassionate.
This sentence obliges us to not condemn the world and withdraw from our neighbour, but to follow Jesus into the world and among our neighbours, whoever they are. It is about becoming God’s agents of healing in the world, rather than either pulling up the drawbridge or assuming God’s wrath is on our side. God does not need us to avenge. God also does not need our protection.
A lot has been written in the last few weeks and lots of cartoons have been drawn and published in response to the assault on human life and the violation of God’s image in Paris.
Unfortunately, our fast-paced media-crazy world has often not much time for measured responses that go beyond headlines and buzzwords. Even more thought-through blogs often conjure up solutions that are not based in honest discernment, but in a need to react quickly and to hit as many clicks as possible.
Our mission statement remains most relevant in this context.
How can we be compassionate, yet thoughtful? How can we not give into easy stereotypes or quick condemnations? How can we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God (cf. Micah 5:8)?
There are no easy answers. But we have the skills and means to explore answers both as a community of faith and also by interacting with the community around us through, for example, the just-Festival or Souper Saturday. I am looking forward to finding ways with you to tackle these questions faithfully and genuinely, so that we indeed become a place of healing for the world.
Markus Duenzkofer
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