May 24, 2022
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“Good trouble” is a phrase that has grown in the consciousness of the nation. Representative John Lewis, a towering figure for civil rights, coined the phrase; and more than that, he lived it. Our text for this week (John 17:20-26) says there are wrongs that need to be righted. It says there are systems, there are presumptions and prejudices, and there are oppressive patterns and economic cycles that are impossible to break out of without help.

But wait, some of you are probably thinking, we can’t get political. It’s politics that’s tearing our society, nation, and denomination apart. And you are correct; a different approach is needed. As followers of John Wesley, we are called to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. So, what should that transformation look like? What would be different in the Kingdom of God? Now, more than ever, is the time for casting a vision of what it means to be praying for, working towards, and co-creating with God the Kingdom we all long for.

Can we fix everything? No, but we can hold up a vision that inspires us and those who come alongside us. We can invite the next generation to join us because we are heading somewhere, no longer content with things as they are, and ready to be a part of the solution. At its heart, our faith has a thread of “holy discontent” running through it: wanting the Kingdom to come on Earth as it is in Heaven. That’s our prayer every time we gather, so let’s mean it. And as always, we need to start with ourselves

Your Brother in Christ, Rev. Ernest
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