Real Hope: Unite in HopeSample

Invited To Be Included

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.

Over a decade ago, I walked into a conference and found myself in a well-organized swirl of people from many different nations. The scene was breathtakingly beautiful, a taste of heaven. We had gathered with a unified hope-fueled dream of a world where everyone has the opportunity to hear about Jesus.

Our unity was that we were all followers of Jesus.

During this conference, we sat in table groups where each person at the table was from a different country. We discussed global and national issues on the challenges of sharing our  Christian faith. We had different perspectives and experiences, and that, at times, created dissonance.

Each day, we read scripture together and talked about our personal journeys. I noticed that these times of honest vulnerable sharing started to build friendships that turned our view of our cultural differences and diverse expressions of faith into something more interesting. There was less defensiveness in our discussions, and a sense of shared collaborative wisdom started to come forward.

One of the most moving sessions for me was during a collective prayer for the persecuted Christians in the world. As I began quietly praying, my new friend, who had told me about the gift of lament, started wailing and rocking, covering his head with a cloth. I felt startled as around the many tables others began to openly weep and wail. Tears rolled down my face too, but I couldn’t wail. I turned to my nearest equally startled friend and said ‘they are gifting us with the groaning we are too reserved to offer to God’. This was a wonderful gift and it reminded me that Christ loves His beautiful and diverse bride. There is nothing for me to overcome – I am simply invited to be included.

Written by KATH HENRY