What would it look like and feel like to live in and amongst a community marked ultimately by love?
We invite you to join the conversation over the next several weeks as we embark on a journey to not only rebuild as a church, but to build the Beloved Community, right here and right now.
The Beloved Community, a term popularized by the Reverend and Civil Rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., described “a global vision in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth— where there would be no poverty, hunger or homelessness and where racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice would be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood.”
It was a vision that described a world and a reality in which all people can flourish and reach their full God-given potential, together. It was a vision that promoted radical inclusivity, belonging, community, peace, equity and justice. It was a vision that ultimately promoted love, above all else.
And not just any kind of love, but a particular love. A Kingdom of God, kind of love. A love rooted in the very person and way of Jesus — a Jesus who on the night of his betrayal, gathered for a final meal with his disciples (one of which would deny him and the other who would betray him), washed their dirty feet, and gave them a new commandment that said: “Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.” (John 13:34-35)
What we discover is that while Dr. King may have popularized the term the Beloved Community, the vision for the Beloved Community wasn’t new at all. Because long before Dr. King had a dream, Jesus had one too. And for Jesus, that vision and dream of the Beloved Community — intended for the whole world to experience — would start first with the twelve disciples. It would start first with the church.
And so the question for us then becomes not just a hypothetical one that asks: “What would it look like and feel like to live in and amongst a community marked ultimately by love?” But instead the better question is one that asks: “What would it look like and feel like to create the Beloved Community right here, right now, starting with us?