Blessed to Be A Blessing

"A church is an organization that exists for the benefit of nonmembers"
- Archbishop William Temple

"Blessings not just for the ones who kneel... Luckily."
- U2, "City of Blinding Lights"

I've been struck time and time again by the fact that the spirit of Christianity - at least its intention - is a deep concern for the Other. Over and over the Bible reminds us that we are not to be about ourselves, that the riches and goodness bestowed upon us by God are to be shared not hoarded, humbly given to others rather than proudly worn as a badge. When God "called" Abraham, he said, "All peoples on the earth will be blessed through you."

This calling to the Other is pronounced throughout the Bible in a variety of ways:

"When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God." - Lev. 19:33-34

"But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.- Matt. 5:44

"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." - Rom. 12:14

Abraham was blessed to be a blessing to others. Israel was blessed to be a blessing to others. The Church has been blessed to be a blessing to others.

This is what "calling" or "election" means. Too often, election is branded as an "us versus them" signification, a delimiter that lets everyone know who is on God's side and who is not. But that is not at all what it entails. Election is not a position of significance or special importance, but a position of service. Emmanuel Levinas, Jewish philosopher, writes:

"It is the Infinite that appoints me... in order to designate me the unique and the elected, in the face of the other... As a call of God, this does not found a relation between me and Him who spoke to me. It does not found that which, by some sort of right, would be a conjunction... In the call to me, I am referred to the other man through whom this call signifies."

This is how Jesus said the same thing: 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' (Matt 25:40).

What would this look like if our organizations, churches, ministries, Christian companies, Christian lobbyists (which do exist!), and we ourselves as individuals took this message to heart? What would America look like if those who claimed to be Christians actually lived this message?

What would a church's budget look like if it committed to spend more of its money on people outside its walls than within?

What would a church mission look like if we were more concerned with blessing our world rather than shoring up our defenses and trying to add to our numbers?

What would happen if our country spent more money on humanitarian aid than homeland security and militarty expenses?

What would our friendships look like if we were more concerned with the person as such - their needs, dreams, pains, and life circumstances - than trying to convert them, or determining if their opinion on some political or theological issue was the same as ours, or making sure our opinion was known?

In Philippians 2, it says that Jesus "emptied himself." The Greek word for this is kenosis. He was not concerned about his own preservation. He lived by this strange irony that serves as a mysterious principle in the cosmos - that one must die in order to live. What if all of our lives were lived through a lens of kenosis?

If you think about it for a while, you realize how far the church has gotten away from this. The Church today is an empire, an institution, an organization. Churches construct massive buildings to preserve their identity in society. Don't get me wrong. I love going to Europe and seeing the beautiful cathedrals. But the paradox of Christianity is that its supposed to always be on its last breath, always on the point of extinction for the sake of the Other, always giving away to those who cannot give back so that it must desperately pray for "daily bread."

I admit, I fail miserably at blessing others. I am a scrooge when it comes to my money. I want to save and preserve my assets so I have them in the future for myself. I don't misunderstand election as a badge to be worn and proudly displayed, but neither do I readily take up the basin and the towel and serve as a conduit of God's favor, blessing, and grace.

I must ask myself, if God's self-emptying Spirit lives in me, why is this way of life so stinking difficult?