Beloved Siblings in Christ:

Words cannot express how grateful I am to be your partner in ministry as we do Christ’s work in this world. We are literally Christ’s hands and feet working and voices proclaiming the gospel boldly as we do the work of justice, standing firmly with the oppressed to lessen and eliminate their burdens. I am grateful for your commitment to the gospel of Christ. You inspire me and challenge me to grow in faith every day. I thank God for your presence and witness, which gives me the strength and boldness to live according to God’s words as found in Romans 1:16-17, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, ‘The one who is righteous will live by faith.’” [1]

In the past few days, you have heard some of the most powerful people in our nation claim they are Christian. Yet, with their next breaths, they make proclamations in the name of God, espousing personal favor and prosperity bestowed upon them by God while expressing their disdain toward the most vulnerable among us and even hatred and malice toward others God has created. In their proclamations, in God’s name, they deny that all people are created in the very image of God and are beloved of God. In their proclamation, using the precious name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, they seek to oppress some of our siblings, teaching that these siblings are not as valued by God while claiming faith in Christ. This is wrong; it is anathema, and we cannot turn our heads pretending not to hear or see or refrain from speaking the truth to power because it does damage to the gospel of Christ and our witness as disciples of Christ.

In the ancient hymn from Philippians 2 that we use as an affirmation of faith, we say that we believe “Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.” [2] God valued human bodies so much that God became flesh and dwelt among us. In the Presbytery of Lake Michigan, we have claimed, in both word and deed, that we believe God when God says bodies matter. The whole body is more than muscle and bone; it is also the brain, the heart, the soul – all are collectively the body – “fearfully and wonderfully”[3] made by God – in God’s very image. Bodies matter . . . Black bodies matter, female bodies matter, poor bodies matter, transgender bodies matter, White bodies matter, undocumented bodies matter, disabled bodies matter, male bodies matter, bodies that struggle with mental illness matter, old bodies matter, LGBTQIA bodies matter, children’s bodies matter, dying bodies matter, immigrant bodies matter. . . ALL BODIES MATTER because we are all created in the image of God and are called beloved.

We sing the words of the song, “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.” These words are not talking about the Pollyanna-type love we have when we say hello to a passing stranger or put the grocery cart back into the rack so it doesn’t scratch someone’s car. These words express the deep love we, as followers of Christ, have for all humans whom Christ calls beloved and the work of justice we do to free one another from oppression.

Siblings in Christ, this is our collective call as a community of faith, in these days especially, to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ boldly. Do not depend solely upon others, but study the Word of God so that you will know for yourself what it says about how we are to treat one another. Learn from Scripture what Jesus teaches about the Greatest Commandment – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. [In other words, your whole body.] This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”[4] Read the words of Scripture with one another so that you can learn how Jesus spoke the truth in love, spoke God’s truth to power, and modeled for us how to follow up words with action.

Please know that I am here to support you as you do Christ’s work in the world, and the Presbytery is here to resource you in whatever ways we are able. Keep an eye on the Presbytery website and the E-Digest for resources to help support ministries of justice, and also feel free to contact us for specific resources. Please know that I pray for you without ceasing. Finally, please know of my willingness to stand beside you as you do the work of justice to which God calls you. Thank you again for the honor of serving among you.

Your sibling in Christ,

Fran Lane-Lawrence

[1] Romans 1:16

[2] Philippians 2:6

[3] Psalm 139

[4] Matthew 22:36-40