Who We Are

One of my favorite songs by sung by "Sweet Honey in the Rock" is entitled, “Who We Are”. The opening lyric is:

“For each child who’s born a morning star rises and sings to the universe who we are.”

How wonderful to think of that song going out to the entire world – if only we could hear it! It would certainly make those years of adolescence a little easier if we already knew who we are. However, we would certainly miss a lot of the fun of learning.

Christians, as individuals and as a community, also struggle for identity. Several opinion columns and news articles this week pointed out concerns about conservative pastors actually praying for the President of the US to be harmed. Not only were Christian people not getting up and walking away from such a suggestion, they were actually praying along with it. Is that who we are? Have we gone from prayer warriors to prayer terrorists? No – that can’t be the same faith founded on a Christ who says ‘BLESS those who curse you” and “the greatest commandment is to love God and LOVE your neighbor as yourself.”

In fact, David Kinnamon’s research oriented book “UnChristian” found that negative views of Christianity and Christian people were pervasive. He described this most common comment about faith communities to be this:

"Christianity doesn't look like Jesus anymore, its "UnChristian". The vast majority said adjectives that described Christians were ones like: judgmental, hypocritical, too political, scientifically ignorant, homophobic, and sheltered.”

Certainly as children of God that is not who we are! But who are we? The Bible has a good answer for us.

9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10

A Chosen People

We are not a people so good, so spiritual, so holy or so powerful that we have a relationship with God because of our own awesomeness. We are chosen! That means we are part of the Christian faith not because we chose God, but because God chose us! We rely on God’s outstretched loving arms embracing us to in the relationship called Christianity. That should change our witness of Christ in this world 100 percent! Instead of carrying on about how good we are – we have every reason to talk about how good God is to choose us to love.

This acknowledgement should help reduce the “superiority factor” significantly. When we realize we are only able to have this life giving relationship because of God it helps us look at other people through eyes of equality, faith and hope.

I saw a “Christian” bumper sticker on a car not long ago – it said, “Get right, or Get Left!” – I remember wondering at the time just who would want to hear the message of a Christ who had that as a motto. Being a chosen person helps us realize that we are all just like 6th graders on the sideline hoping someone will pick us – then experiencing the joy of acceptance when for some unknown reason God calls our name. We are no one to threaten or cajole others into faith – we’re really just blessed to be here ourselves.

A People Belonging to God

At the time this epistle was written – belonging to someone wasn’t just a sweet metaphor about love and commitment. It existed in the real world of slave ownership – where people actually belonged to other people. When this letter was read aloud in their faith circles, the knowledge of everything it means to belong to another person was very fresh and real. Belonging to someone meant you did what they said, when they said, without question or hesitation. You lived for their wishes – they did not live for yours. However, it also meant the owner was the responsible party. If you belonged to someone they had to feed you, house you, and ensure your safety, life and direction.

We belong to God. It is not our job to run the world; it is our job to carry out God’s wishes for the world as best as we can understand them. God will care for us – but we need to be about God’s business. How much of our time and resources does Christianity waste being about our business – doing what we want, when we want with little or no input from the God who loves and know us? How much of our faith to we spend talking about beliefs instead of living our instructions?

We are not our own, and we would do well to remember it.

A People Who Have Received Mercy

Finally, we are a people whose debt has been forgiven. We have been on the receiving end of mercy and that should make us merciful. Instead of pointing out the sin and failure of others, how much more beautiful would it be if we offered mercy to others. Instead of putting up a stumbling block for others, how many people could know Christ if we opened the door to others? Imagine a faith that had the following identity:

Humble not Haughty
Merciful not Judgmental
Loving what we don’t understand not shutting it out
Grateful not Entitled
Inviting not Threatening
Hopeful not scornful

Wow – those words in that first column sound a lot like Jesus, huh? As Christians – that is who we are - “Christ-ian” - little Christs – Jesus’ disciples – who act like him, not just talk about him.

Christianity is failing to change our world, our nation and sometimes our very hearts. But Christ is not failing – we are. We fail when we get so caught up in our labels (missional, evangelical, Baptist, Presbyterian, Conservative, Liberal,…) that we forget to live the message. We fail when we struggle to keep people out of faith than work to let people in. We fail when we forget who we are.

For each child who’s born a morning star rises and sings to the universe who we are.