In yesterday morning's Bible study, we discussed Matthew's version of the baptism of Jesus by John (Matthew 3: 13-17).
What I did not realize is that by taking baptism out of the ritual baths of the temple and bringing it to the Jordan River, John was making his baptism of repentance accessible to those who could not go into the temple: they lived at a distance, they were unable, or because they were considered unclean by the temple authorities. Therefore, it was good and right that Jesus be baptized by John in this way, to affirm his ministry to the outcast, the lost, and the forgotten.
Jesus brought his message and the kingdom to the people who needed it most, traveling to them rather than teaching only in the synagogues. Walls had been built around the Law and the prophets, that only the pure could approach them and inherit their blessings. Jesus taught that the center of the Law is love and that barriers of any kind--physical, attitudinal, economical--did not belong in the kingdom nor could they thwart it.
How can we make Christ's body, we the Church, accessible to all in a concrete way? How can we bring the Church to others?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I had an interesting conversation on this topic earlier this month ...
When I was in grade school, "special" children were separated from the rest of us. We knew they existed, but we had no contact with them. Consequently, I grew up feeling uncomfortable with disabled people; just didn't know how to act or what to say. With age (and wisdom??), I've gotten less uncomfortable; but in the back of my mind, there's still that little "iffy" feeling. My own kids, on the other hand, have grown up with the inclusion model of schooling. Special needs students are included in all classrooms and those students are encouraged to participate as much as possible in everyday school activities right alongside the rest of the population. My son befriended a severely Downs girl in the 3rd grade. I know that was an enriching experience for both him and the girl, but if I'm honest I have to say I worried that spending too much time with her might hold Derek back. A less-than-intelligent feeling, but it was there nonetheless.
The question that Cynthia posed about interviewing a disabled pastor brought up some good points also. For instance, if I were interviewing a blind person for pastor, it would be perfectly legitimate to ask if they would be able to visit parishioners in their homes (i.e., how will you get there?); but if the disability was not noticeable, would I still ask that question, or would it be assumed that it was a part of the job and therefore the candidate would have the ability to do it?
Jan
Jan brings up a good point, which makes me think ... we can build our meetinghouse to be accessible with a wheelchair ramp, and we can install a better soundsystem,
We could probably even go a step farther and find someone to sign the sermon and prayers, and we could try and get braille programs
Would we be open to hiring a pastor with a more hidden disability, like Tourette's?
Post a Comment