We See People as Christ Sees Them

This past spring our church council and staff, along with input from the congregation, discerned how to put our core values as a faith family into words. The result was the following core value statement:

 At Abiding Presence:

All Are Welcome
We are a Faith Family, Together
We are God's Hands and Feet in the World
We See People as Christ Sees Them

 In my weekly newsletter messages this month, I have been exploring what each of these core values mean. This week I want us to take a look at “We See People as Christ Sees Them.” This value encompasses the idea that we both see other people as Christ sees them AND that we come to see ourselves as Christ sees us, too. They are two sides of the same coin of looking at people through the lens of Christ rather than the lens of the world.

First, let’s talk about how we see others through the lens of Christ. We know how Jesus sees people. The Bible is filled with stories of Jesus not only   noticing those who were on the margins, but also stopping to engage with them. He touched people who were considered to be unclean. He welcomed at his table those who were shunned. Over and over again, Jesus widens the  circle of who is included in the kingdom of God. No one is unworthy of Jesus’ time, attention and love.

When we look at others through the lens of Christ, we see not their sin, faults or mistakes, but instead we see that they are beloved in God’s eyes. We may not like them or their behavior. But, we are called to see them and treat them as  fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, beloved by God. That’s what we try to do here at Abiding Presence, whether the person is a fellow church member, one of our weekday community center guests or someone in the community in need of help.

I’ll be honest, some days this is harder than others. When telemarketers call the church, the last thing I want to do when I pick up the phone is to treat them as a beloved child of God. When someone throws a brick through the church    windows like happened this summer, it is really hard to stop and see them as Christ sees them. When I get cut off in traffic or hurtful by someone’s words, my go-to lens is not Christ’s. It takes practice, lots of it, to see  people first and foremost as Christ sees them.

To see others through the lens of Christ is not enough, however. We also come to see ourselves through that same lens. In my sermon last weekend I preached about being   defined by our identity as beloved children of God instead of the successes or failures the world tells us matter. As I preached last weekend, I need the voice of this faith family and of the God we proclaim to be the loudest voice in my life and in the lives of my children.

I wholeheartedly believe that this core value in our faith community has the possibility of changing our lives and the lives of others with the good news of God’s love. It’s a different way of being in the world. It is the way of Jesus. While it is far from easy, it is important.