IV. Vows
of Voluntary Sacrifice
“We
freely offer up our appetites, wealth, and pride to relieve the suffering of
the world,
for the sake of
our neighbors and God’s joy.”
- I will seek out and yield to the counsel and direction of my sisters and brothers for growing into the Spirit and likeness of Jesus Christ; I will regularly seek the aid and instruction of my brothers and sisters for growing in faithfulness.
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| Leader Ervin Stutzman receiving counsel from Church Youth |
It may sound like an unnecessary burden to commit oneself to and depend
on a group of messy, opinionated, unpolished broken people—especially when our experiences of church so often militate against Jesus peacemaking call! But as
sadly true as that is and as much work as it sounds, it is really a grace to
have a community surround us, challenge and support us. Because here’s the
thing: this discipleship life hinted at in these twenty Covenant vows of
Christian Peacemaking is hard work, no, impossible
work for any one person to do on their
own. In fact, it’s so hard that no human group can even fully realize it
(even the church).
But our conviction is that the surest way to take part in God’s
peaceable kingdom coming right now is to be part of God’s called-out community,
the Body of Christ. And it’s true, the people there will not always help you
see Jesus. They will not always get his prophetic calling. They will do a lot of
navel-gazing and finger pointing. But they are
God’s people gifted with the Holy Spirit. Besides, who better to learn to live
a peacemaking life with than a group
who has conflict, who annoys you, who bores you, who offends you, who requires
you to be vulnerable, who asks you to mutually give and receive?!
“I will seek out and yield to the counsel and direction of
my sisters and brothers for growing into the Spirit and likeness of Jesus
Christ; I will regularly examine my life under these vows, and seek the aid and
instruction of my brothers and sisters for growing in faithfulness.”
Today’s vow is
not one to take alone, so consider it in the context of where “two or three are
gathered in Christ’s name!”
Options For Reflection and Action:
(1) With someone else, read from Matthew 18:15-22.
- Reflect together about what you find difficult about church and what you find life giving. What draws you to the church community? What keeps you away?
- Recall ways in your experience that Christ has been present when “two or three gathered”?
- How have you been formed by a faith community to seek and give counsel, hold and be held accountable, agree together, and forgive and be forgiven?
- In what other ways has participation with church shaped you as a peacemaker?
(2) Read together also Paul’s words to his
sisters and brothers in Galatians
6:1-5.
Notice the two-sided, self-differentiated call to both carry our own loads
and carry one another’s,
to both test ourselves and one another.
- What are the things you need others to help you carry and test?
- What load do you need to carry yourself?
- What burden and for whom is God calling you to bear?
- Who in our community needs restoration?
Prayer Focus
God, thank you for this difficult and lovely
group of people, your church.
Thank you for Christ’s presence when we
gather.
Thank you for forming your reconciling way
in us when we are church together.
Forgive us for when we have failed to bear
one another’s burdens,
when we have refused to forgive,
when we have not cared enough to restore one
another to right-related fellowship.
Equip us to be your community in a world of
individual entitlement.
In the name of the Prince of Peace, Amen.
