Thursday, January 23, 2014

Globalization

Globalization visits St John's everyday. One medical engineer in the congregation is employed by a Norwegian firm and most of their prospective clients are from China. A biotech executive's boss is located in Amsterdam. College students view traveling and working abroad like traveling from Maryland to Delaware only it takes longer. A mission trip to Kenya is the center piece of our school's outreach. Differences in language and culture are expected and navigated. The Holy Eucharist is celebrated each Sunday in Korean for those whose first language is Korean but who are now living in our community. Likely St. John's reflects other congregations. Christian disciples are reaching across differences everyday. We have a global reach when we are home and when we travel. As Christian disciples we don't leave our faith behind but how can we live it among people whose languages and beliefs are different from our own? The first part of the answer is the faith nurtured in your heart will be with you wherever you go. Practices of prayer and reflection are holy habits that stay with us. Build upon those practices with digital resources for reading devotionals and scripture. And another layer comes to us directing from the Baptismal Covenant, 'respect the dignity of every human being." The second part of the answer is more complex. We cannot take with us what we have not already nurtured. We cannot create on the spot a well of treasured scriptural passages, psalms, and centering phrases to meet challenges. Living with globalization begins in the daily life of each disciple and in the connection with a practicing community. Living with globalization is more of consistent exercise of building the resources rather than a skill to be taught and mastered. Bringing Christ's reconciling love to the world truly does begin in our faith community as we live our faith together.