The Christmas season is in full swing at my house! Some activities are in the rear view mirror for this Christmas season. We’ve taken my girls to see Christmas lights, we’ve watched their church choir Christmas performances, we’ve tuned into several holiday movies, and checked off our first family gathering of the season. Many activities are yet to come. In the next several days we’ll attend four more family Christmas gatherings, decorate more Christmas cookies, open gifts, and eat too much pie. Tis’ the season for all these holiday activities. And, of course, we’ll attend our Christmas Eve Service and celebrate the birth of Jesus!
In the other blog posts Pastor Sarah and I have highlighted our ministries at COTR. I want to pause from looking at a particular ministry and point out how the Christmas story, specifically the doctrine of the incarnation, shapes our understanding of ministry
The incarnation is the way the church has spoken about the conviction that God took on flesh and became a human. Paul, perhaps quoting an early Christian hymn, tells us that Jesus “emptied himself…assuming human likeness” (Philippians 2:7). The 1,700 year old Nicene Creed says Jesus is, “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.” One reason the incarnation is significant is because in the event of God taking on flesh something definitive is revealed to us about the character of God. We see God’s great desire to be in relationship with us. The incarnation shows us that God is determined to be with us.
So, what does this mean for ministry? If God is the One who is determined to be with us, then faithful ministry in the name of Jesus will be ministry that seeks to be with others.
Pastor and theologian Sam Wells has thought a lot about what it looks like for ministry to be shaped by being with others. He outlines eight dimensions of being with as it relates to ministry. Those eight dimensions are the following: presence, attention, mystery, delight, participation, partnership, enjoyment, and glory. There is a lot to unpack in each of these eight dimensions and a lot that will remain unpacked so this doesn’t turn into a book length blog post. That being said, I do want to make a few brief summary comments on these eight dimensions with an eye toward ministry at COTR.
First, being with is a posture of ministry that doesn’t see people as projects to be completed or problems to be fixed. Rather, to be with someone is to be present and attentive in the sort of way that honors the image of God in each person. This begins with knowing a person's name, patiently listening, and hearing their story. Being with, secondly, recognizes the gifts of the person being served. Here, Wells speaks of a “recognition of abundance.” The folks I minister to at Church of the Reconciler have gifts and graces and a call from God upon their life. They do not lack, but are “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10). This means ministry is both giving and receiving. The line between those doing ministry and those being ministered to starts to blur. I’m thankful for the folks at COTR who show up each week ready to blur that line. Finally, to be with someone in ministry means that you are actually with that person - looking them in the eye, close enough to reach out and touch them. This brings us full circle, back to the incarnation. For in the incarnation God “became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14 MSG).
I invite you to come to the “neighborhood” and visit the Church of the Reconciler! Join us for worship on Sunday if you don’t have a church home. If you do have a church home, bring some folks from your church to serve at Church of the Reconciler during the week.
For those that have served in the past or are interested in serving in the future mark your calendars for our volunteer training on January 25th from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Church of the Reconciler.
Come be with us!
Cover artwork from 2025 Christmas card colored by volunteer Royce Jordan. Thank you, Royce!