“Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.” I can quote almost every line in the movie Steel Magnolias. This is one of my favorites. Laughter through tears, after all, is one of MY favorite emotions. Emotions are complex and often not fully one or the other, but both simultaneously: joy in the midst of sorrow, hope in the midst of grief. This is what I preach at funerals, the hope found in the love and grace of Jesus Christ in the midst of mourning and loss.
I feel this dichotomy of emotions right now in my ministry with the United Methodist Church. I love the UMC and just as the individuals who comprise this denomination, it is both beautiful and broken, divine and sometimes divided. I deeply lament the division that has happened among us, among the people of the church. Although I pray for fruitful ministry for the many people who are making the difficult decision to leave the denomination, I still grieve that they will no longer be a part of the UMC, and although I know God is at work in the hearts of colleagues and friends, I am saddened that we will not be working together within our denominational connection.
In spite of the overwhelming sense of loss I feel at the departure of those who are leaving, I also feel a profound sense of hope for the future. The story of our faith always includes new life, from loss something new will always be born. We belong to Christ’s church, and because I know God can do something as big as the resurrection, God can bring to fruition something new and fruitful within the UMC.
As I have pondered what the church will look like in the future, there are a few things that strike me:
- We can be innovative in new ways of BEING the church. Never was this more apparent than when we encountered a world-wide pandemic. Churches very quickly pivoted (remember when the word of 2020 was “PIVOT”?) and started to do church very differently. The resourcefulness utilized to bring church online, outside, in houses, etc. was amazing! I have no doubt that even as tired as many pastors are from the season of Covid, creative minds will be working to find new ways to be the church, to nurture disciples, to worship, and to share Jesus in new ways.
- While the generosity of the UMC in allowing congregations to leave the denomination with their property will undoubtedly be a hurdle to overcome in many ways as we seek to provide a UMC presence to as many as possible, this could also provide a sense of freedom. Too many times I have seen churches who designate the bulk of their budget to an older building with lots of repair needs, only to actually utilize it for an hour or two each week. Because of the expense of repairs and regular expenses, churches aren’t able to plan for remodeling that might be needed to bring new ministries in. What might church look like if we didn’t have this expense? What might church look like in a coffee shop, restaurant, laundromat, or park?
- We have an opportunity in moving ahead to bear witness in the world to the power of the Holy Spirit in uniting a diverse people in mission and ministry. Those of us in the US have felt the weight of division polarizing our country and devolving into what could be better referred to as tribalism or sectarianism, people not only identifying with people in their own group or side, but displaying a real contempt and hatred of those who identify differently and holding the belief not only that others are wrong, but are a threat. I believe this has been seeping into our churches (not just the UMC). People who identify as traditionalist, centrist, and progressive have all expressed a desire to remain in the UMC. How might we come together to live into the fullness of the glory given to us as Jesus prayed, “The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:22-23 NRSVUE)
New opportunities, grace, and hope abound as we look ahead. While we lament the state of things as they exist today, let us continue to have “laughter through tears”, or a profound hope through Jesus Christ in the midst of our lament. What is your hope for the future of the UMC?
TM