Saturday, Opening Day

General Assembly 2007 is underway. The biennial reunion of Disciples from across the United States and Canada opened today, and it felt very much like a reunion.

About 200 Hoosiers, used-to-be Hoosiers and wanna-be Hoosiers dropped by the Indiana reception at the convention center. Pictures will follow in a later post. Friends reconnected, and that's part of the joy of a General Assembly. Personally, I got to greet old friends from Georgia and from new church work, and I look forward to sharing more time and catching up.

In addition to renewing friendships, great preaching is a feature at General Assembly. During the Church Extension dinner, Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale, senior pastor of Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Georgia, celebrated with us the 504 new church starts that have emerged since the new church movement was launched in 2001. Like those present at the first Pentecost recorded in Acts 2, many of us wonder, "What does this mean?"

In part, it means that the face of this church is changing. By the year 2020, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will reflect the diversity of culture and ethnicity of the nation. It also means that a passion is growing among Disciples.

During the opening worship, Rev. Dr. Daisy Machado preached from Matthew 14:13-21, highlighting Jesus' response to his disciples, "You give them something to eat." So often we approach Jesus in the same way as the disciples. Dr. Machado pointed out that rather than come to Jesus with the problems of the people, the disciples came with the solution they had already worked out. "Lord, we've decided to do this, so please bless us now."

It was especially poignant when Dr. Machado suggested that "In the Garden" should be the theme song for many of our churches: "I come to the garden alone." We have let our faith become too much "Jesus makes me feel better about me." When the personal relationship with Jesus is over emphasized, we lose the community relationship with Jesus. When that happens, we fail to see the other or hear the other. We do not invite the stranger. Instead, we fear the stranger.

But God calls us to the same radical, off-the-hook hospitality that Jesus demonstrated. Jesus calls us to answer the same challenge he gave to his disciples, "You give them something to eat."