I am honored to join a group of community leaders that, deeply grounded in our faith traditions, are betting on keeping a space of conversation open for shared learning and leadership for justice, peace, and welcome for all. This letter is a first public witness to those conversations I am certain will continue to deepen the relationship of those involved and increase our community’s capacity for solidarity and social transformation.
One conversation at a time
“Presence and witness in urban settings must be of the city, by the city, and for the city.” I share with you this “story in progress” from the Plainfields as a way to narrate the complexity (and outright difficulty) of ministry in urban contexts. Not only does every interested party has its own understanding of what the city is and what kind of Christian presence is required, but it sometimes feels that many congregational leaders in cities (or interested in doing urban mission) think that being aware of demographic data, socioeconomic situations, and development potential is enough to develop a “strategy” for the city.
In this sermon I engage the text of II Samuel 11, and the otherwise unrelated stories of war, lust, murder if not seen through the historical and contemporary lenses of the war economy. This was also a nudge of support to the Poor Peoples’ Campaign: A National Call for a Moral Revival and its New York State organizing.
This sermon was originally preached at the Presbyterian New England Congregational Church in Saratoga Springs, NY.
