I think the United Church of Canada was listening in on our conversation this winter when we celebrated our 75th Anniversary. Remember that? Remember Carmen Lansdowne coming for the weekend and talking to us about Humble Boldness?
After all, the second leg of the three-legged stool that is the national church strategic plan calls us to “bold discipleship.” So here’s my question: what does a bold discipleship look like.
Discipleship is a tricky word. It can sound like blindly following. Religious disciples these days often show up in the media as overzealous fanatics, people who can see things from their perspective and refuse to consider that there might be another way to think about it. Discipleship can carry fundamentalist overtones regardless of brand of faith or denomination.
But at its core, a disciple is a learner, and for us that means we are a community of people who are bold enough to encounter life with a mind wide open, a mind curious to understand and encounter the unknown, a mind eager to change our way of thinking. Bold disciples take risks, ask questions, lay claim to what they know to be true but boldly challenge the truths we hold.
Bold disciples are courageous enough to put their faith into bold acts of love, but humble enough to admit it when we get it wrong.
Just imagine if our community of faith got the reputation for being a hotbed of open mindedness, and a centre for curiosity and exploration. That is certainly the kind of faith community I want to hang out in.
See you Sunday. Bring your open mind and your curiosity.