If you’ve been in worship the last few weeks, you may have sensed a particular theme that’s been on my mind recently: what makes Immanuel Baptist Church such a special place to be?
First, I made the claim that the way we care about others in this community is nearly unparalleled. Then, I discussed how we have cultivated a space in which learning is valued and debate is a normal part of life. We are not afraid to challenge one another, because we know that our hope is forged in the fire of our struggling together.
You’ve heard me hold in tension both the beauty in the type of community we have created and the difficulty of being a church that goes against the grain. I’ve tried to help us lean into the conviction that following God’s voice and planting seeds who fruits we may not get to enjoy is never a fool’s errand. When we experience and express God’s unconditional love together, we are like that tiny mustard seed, whose plant grows far beyond what anyone could have imagined for it – providing shade for the hot and tired; offering a little sustenance for the hungry; and, honestly, growing so invasively that it is hard for anyone to look away (look it up – mustard plants are not just sweet bushes, they are an invasive species that take on a life of their own).
Scott and I were talking after church on Sunday about the sermon and what it means to commit to learning together, while recognizing that our particular way of being church or of understanding scripture might not be the most popular.
By the end of the conversation, I said, “You know what? There might have been times in the church’s history when we couldn’t disagree, debate, challenge, or even admit questions to one another without it sending some segment of the church into an uproar. But, it is the way that loving relationships have been nurtured at IBC that allow us all to feel safe here.”
We’ve all been in enough churches or sat at enough awkward extended family dinners to know that, when relationships are only surface-level, there’s not space for dissonance. We can’t bring our full selves into a space where we don’t feel truly seen, known, and loved.
At Immanuel, when we’ve said that we seek to “experience and express God’s unconditional love,” we have started with our own house. The unconditional love of God is palpable when I walk the halls on Sunday mornings. Looking around, there’s hardly ever a person sitting alone. When I visit someone in the hospital or call them after they’ve received bad news, there’s rarely a time that someone else from the church hasn’t beat me to it. I’ve seen you laugh together, cry on each other’s shoulders, and hold one another when life seems too heavy.
Marriage research, John Gottman says that married couples need to pay attention to their “emotional piggy bank,” ensuring that they are always depositing more than they are withdrawing. He claims that the more trust and love that couples build up through activities that bring joy, quality time, and other demonstrations of care and affection, the more easily they are able to journey through the difficult times. With a full “emotional piggy bank,” couples can come to the table with more grace and understanding for one another.
It seems to me that IBC has paid (and continues to pay) attention to our congregation’s “emotional piggy bank” in a way that has created a community where we can be comfortable in our disagreement. We can bring questions and challenges to the table with one another, because we know that we will be loved, held, and cared for no matter what. Our ability to model ourselves after the church in Beroea that the author of Acts describes as open-minded and eager to learn has everything to do with our commitment to “experience and express God’s unconditional love.”
Learning is important to our growth as Christians and as a church. Internally, we must keep striving to be people who seek to see God more clearly through our pursuit of deeper understanding. AND, it is the love we share – with one another, with our community, and with the God we serve – that will be our greatest witness.
I hope you will remember this when the days feel hard. When the road ahead is longer than we would like. That the love of this congregation surrounds you for the journey ahead.
