Independence Day
Independence Day. July 4th. The nation's capital. A Capitol Fourth. Live performances. The Temptations. (My Girl.) Jesus was tempted. In the desert. Probably around July.
It comes full circle.
Some of the biggest moments in our lives are when we learn to be independent. When we first cook for ourselves, walk to the bus stop without our parents, or when we finally graduate from a driver's permit to a license. No matter how cool we try to act about it, the feeling of liberation and accomplishment is a joyous one, it's the reason we celebrate July 4th with parades and cookouts and fireworks.
One of my big moments was when I learned to be independent in my faith, and I didn't even realize it until a conversation I had this week. I was hanging out with a group of friends, some of which are fellow interns, when one asked if we remember when we became a Christian. I made eye contact with the only other pastor's kid in the circle and said, without thinking, "I was born into the church." It's true-- I can't remember a time when I wasn't a Christian, it's a part of my being. I was born into Immanuel Africa Gospel Church in Kericho, Kenya and raised by Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, then followed my dad from church to church around Kentucky, Nebraska, and Kansas. In all of those places you will find people that can remember taking care of me as if I was their own child, and that's because I was.
But I didn't choose to be. Not until my freshman year of college, the most challenging year of my life to date. All of a sudden I was too independent, too proud to take care of myself, and so my mental and physical health took a beating. My faith struggled as well, but my uncle's church in the next town over served as a buoy. I never lost it, I never doubted that there is a God that loves me more than I can imagine, but I did realize that I was not loving God back in the same way.
I'm sure it was preached to me over and over again when I was younger, but it wasn't until I found myself longing for love in my own life that it clicked-- to love God means to love others as much as you possibly can. The love that is taught in the bible is not just a private affair, it is an invitation to love all things created by God as much as God loves you. In this sense, Christianity is love, God is love, and I later understood that because of this, Christianity is inherently centered on social justice. To love others means to stand with and for those who are suffering, otherwise your love is shallow and will not be felt. It's not just about waving at your neighbor as you walk down the street or giving a friend a ride when their car breaks down, it's also about recognizing the injustices that are present in our every day lives and refusing to stay silent as others suffer. Matthew 22:37-39 (NRSV) emphasizes this in the plainest language possible: "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" Jesus was! not! playing! with! y'all! The Pharisees wanted to test him and he had time that day! Not only should you love God with every fiber in your body, but you should love your neighbor (read: all living things) as deeply as you love yourself! To be Christian is to do this without a second thought.
Roy Koech
EYA Intern, General Board of Church and Society
It comes full circle.
Some of the biggest moments in our lives are when we learn to be independent. When we first cook for ourselves, walk to the bus stop without our parents, or when we finally graduate from a driver's permit to a license. No matter how cool we try to act about it, the feeling of liberation and accomplishment is a joyous one, it's the reason we celebrate July 4th with parades and cookouts and fireworks.
One of my big moments was when I learned to be independent in my faith, and I didn't even realize it until a conversation I had this week. I was hanging out with a group of friends, some of which are fellow interns, when one asked if we remember when we became a Christian. I made eye contact with the only other pastor's kid in the circle and said, without thinking, "I was born into the church." It's true-- I can't remember a time when I wasn't a Christian, it's a part of my being. I was born into Immanuel Africa Gospel Church in Kericho, Kenya and raised by Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, then followed my dad from church to church around Kentucky, Nebraska, and Kansas. In all of those places you will find people that can remember taking care of me as if I was their own child, and that's because I was.
But I didn't choose to be. Not until my freshman year of college, the most challenging year of my life to date. All of a sudden I was too independent, too proud to take care of myself, and so my mental and physical health took a beating. My faith struggled as well, but my uncle's church in the next town over served as a buoy. I never lost it, I never doubted that there is a God that loves me more than I can imagine, but I did realize that I was not loving God back in the same way.
I'm sure it was preached to me over and over again when I was younger, but it wasn't until I found myself longing for love in my own life that it clicked-- to love God means to love others as much as you possibly can. The love that is taught in the bible is not just a private affair, it is an invitation to love all things created by God as much as God loves you. In this sense, Christianity is love, God is love, and I later understood that because of this, Christianity is inherently centered on social justice. To love others means to stand with and for those who are suffering, otherwise your love is shallow and will not be felt. It's not just about waving at your neighbor as you walk down the street or giving a friend a ride when their car breaks down, it's also about recognizing the injustices that are present in our every day lives and refusing to stay silent as others suffer. Matthew 22:37-39 (NRSV) emphasizes this in the plainest language possible: "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" Jesus was! not! playing! with! y'all! The Pharisees wanted to test him and he had time that day! Not only should you love God with every fiber in your body, but you should love your neighbor (read: all living things) as deeply as you love yourself! To be Christian is to do this without a second thought.
Roy Koech
EYA Intern, General Board of Church and Society
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