Pastor and author Jonathan Augustine suggests that we are not meant to be a melting pot where we are all blended until we are all the same. Instead we are like gumbo! Each one of us is a unique ingredient, and, because of our uniqueness, each one of us brings great value to the whole recipe.
So many of us want to either blend in or to stand out. We want the creativity that comes from a variety of points of view, but we prefer that everyone sees things from our point of view! It sounds as though we are caught in a conundrum, but maybe what we really want is a place where the love is bold enough to hold us all together, as many and as different as we are, as one body— where you see me and I see you, and where each one of us--along with the Holy Trinity, of course!-- is a necessary ingredient for the perfect recipe.
This Lenten Season we are taking Augustine’s analogy of gumbo and using it as a metaphor for what it looks like to truly be the body of Christ — to be bold in living our unique lives so that others can feel safe in being who they uniquely are, asking questions, staying curious, both blending in and standing out...like all the ingredients of a good gumbo!
Let us love Jesus and love others until there are no others… only sisters and brothers in Christ.
Pastor Jo
February 27, 2023
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