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And this kind of work takes place in encounter, students don’t just listen, they watch and imitate and get down moves. Students learn how faith works in the world not just by lecture but from mo- tions, movements and silences. They learn from contexts where talk of God is robust and from ones that seem to police it out. They listen to the dots we connect and the ones we leave to them- selves. They learn from what we consider worth praying for, what kind of people we consider wor- thy of our full attention, from what moves us to compassion. They learn from whether we are willing to wait for a Word from God, or just rush ahead.
Our habits and repetitions lay down imaginative theological and doxological rhythms that can be an invitation to speak of God, to
follow Jesus Christ, to pray for the guidance of the Spirit.
Serene Jones of Union Theo- logical Seminary wrote an essay some years ago on the author- ity of the Bible. She entitled it “Dreaming Scripture, Imagining Bible.” It is a strange essay in the sense that everyone else in the collection wrote in a very didactic and doctrinal tone on the theme of the authority of the Bible. Jones wrote about her sanctifica- tion and formation as a Christian leader through time not so much by familiarity with the Bible but by means of familiarity with the world informed by scripture.
“Shaped by the world of churchly, scriptural speech, it is impossible for me to imagine a world without God...and in the ongoing play of my imagination there is also a strong tendency for
gaging and generous Christian leaders for the 21st century. I think a central and crucial piece of the work is the sanctification
of imagination by the Holy Spirit so that we imagine the world God imagines in Christ and lean into it. Veni Spiritus Sanctus.
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me to impose on everything I ex- perience some sort of story about sin and redemption. I cannot look at another person without seeing Jesus loving them...it is impos- sible for me to frame humanity in any other way than as Jesus- loved.
“I see Jesus looking up at Zac- chaeus in the tree or toward the lepers living in caves outside the city walls [and it] moves me to- ward the edge of what we nor- mally see in search of what we do not... It is an impulse that drove me toward feminism, liberation theology, a deep commitment to radical justice and a suspicion of the exclusions and repressions that religion itself is constantly en- acting...” (Engaging Biblical Au- thority, ed. William Brown, p. 79).
We are in this work of educat- ing and forming thoughtful, en-
PRESBYTERIAN
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Welcoming
For a Dad, no matter how long or short this part of the journey with my son is, it is a blessing of thanksgiving in belonging.
“Each person with a disability, no matter how serious, severe, or even profound, contributes some- thing essential to and for the body through the presence and activity of the Spirit; people with disabilities are therefore ministers empow- ered by the Spirit of God, each in their own specific way, rather than merely recipients of the ministries of non-disabled people” (The Bi- ble, Disability, and the Church: A New Vision of the People of God by Amos Yong, 2011, p. 95).
By Ty Ragan, Centennial Presbyterian Church in Calgary, Alta.
Author Thomas Wolfe once said, “You can never go home again.” For me, one place has always proven the idiom wrong. Most recently, my son Leland (who ex- periences life with what he terms “superpowers,” and others call disabilities) and I started adven- turing in the community by transit and walking.
At the end of this summer, we rolled up to visit Centennial Pres- byterian Church in Calgary, Alta., a place where a few years ago Leland had engaged as a greeter (among other things) with our fam- ily, and in the summer of 2022, the church responded to our prayer requests, as he had a lengthy hos- pital stay and we were unsure if he would ever get out.
It was like a homecoming! Folks chatted with him, trying to get him to smile, and I saw glimmers of the old son I had known before his long
hospital visit. He was adamant we were to go back the next Sunday, and why would he want that? Was it doctrinal? Nope. Accessibility? The ramps, lift and custom-cut pew at the front that allow for his wheelchair are all wonderful for full engagement with church life, but these only mattered to create an inclusive space. It went beyond that—it was belonging. The com- munity knew they were embracing an unknown journey, but they saw my son, and they loved my son.
The music director ensured dec- orations and worship aides were set up so Leland could fully see but not feel overwhelmed. Those in the pulpit engaged with his frequent “Hi’s” and gentle heckles, knowing that it showed he saw them as his “buddy.” Leland had his always rotating yet trusty book he asked folks to read or share with him. He would look out for the other kids in the church because he likes to be a big brother. He could focus, and when Christmas was men- tioned, he could get a rousing “Ho
Leland visiting Centennial Presbyterian Church
Ho Ho!” and he felt celebrated and encouraged (where, sadly, other communities asked him to leave).
Leland gave his joy and love, and it was reciprocated.
This is what matters. Churches can come back post-Covid by opening up a sense of home, un- derstanding that ministry is an ac- tive verb for all in the community.
Read an Easter reflection from the Moderator
Visit:
presbyterian.ca/moderator-easter