What does faith and spirituality have to contribute to solving the biggest issues of our time? I think most of us recognize that there are issues in modern life that are out of balance, such as the economy, the environment and our access to health services. Does it really matter that communities of faith gather to pray, reflect and talk about these things?
One church alone--or for that matter, one individual, one politician, or one group--can not rectify big social, environmental and economic issues of our day. Together we can contribute toward a more balanced society... but it takes skills to do so. I believe that participating in a community of faith contributes to nurturing these essential skills. For example, communities of faith pray together. Prayer keeps important topics alive in our social conscience. With the pace of the news and the sheer volume of information at our fingertips, it is so easy to be overwhelmed or turn away or be distracted from everything that is going on.
Praying is a way of remembering together, to keep our most important and pressing social issues top of mind.
Today’s issues are complicated. On a Sunday morning, or Wednesday afternoon prayer group, for example, there is no rush. We take time to delve into the complexities of life, not just skimming the surface. We find language to speak about complicated issues and their effects.
Being able to find the words to talk about complex situations is an important skill in being able to address them with others.
As a community of faith we also learn how to cultivate spaces of compassion, care and empathy, which are essential tools needed to address social problems. Together, guided by our faith, we practice the arts of listening, sharing space with others, seeking understanding, experimenting, messing up, offering grace, showing gratitude, and so on. These are all vital skills that leaders need to engage in conversations with diverse groups of people, in order to create well-rounded solutions to the problems we are facing as a society. Another gift of our spiritual work as churches, is we access our shared visionary imagination to create ripple effects of hope and purpose.
Meaning, with the guidance of the Spirit, we are able to imagine a better way forward. That vision is priceless, as it offers hope to issues of our time that often feel hopeless.
Today anxieties are on fast-forward about the economic, environmental and social issues happening right now. We’ve known for many decades that these issues urgently need to be addressed, but we have not adequately done so. For my community of faith, following the way of Jesus offers us a way out of our collective overwhelm, distraction and apathy. Returning to our practice of a shared weekly pause is a radically hopeful and radically visionary approach to addressing the root of our contemporary issues: individualism, materialism and social division. The church offers a distinct and necessary alternative voice and approach to these core issues. Great things can be accomplished when we work together toward a vision of a common good and when we are guided by our highest values.
Together, we can nurture the essential spiritual and social skills we need to address the biggest challenges of our time. We are at a place where we simply can not go it alone anymore. But we are not alone. We live in God’s world. Maybe now is a good time to lift up the role of faith and spirituality in reimagining and reinvigorating our world. May it be so. ~ Reverend A. Miechkota is in ministry with Cressy Glenora United Church in Prince Edward County.
Published in County Weekly News, Prince Edward County, August 17, 2023 edition.
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