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Beloved sisters and brothers in Christ,
It is an honor and great joy to stand before you today, gathered here in the beautiful city of Gothenburg, on behalf of the 352 member churches of the World Council of Churches. Your gathering marks a significant turning point in your global family, where we find ourselves at a crossroads, facing global challenges that demand discernment and a faithful response. The theme of your meeting, “On the Move,” speaks to the very heart of our Christian faith and our journey as a global community of believers. My reflections today are rooted in the transformative journeys depicted in Genesis 12:1-5 and Matthew 19:16-30.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to take a brief vacation and spent a day or two on the beach with my family. As a life saver some years ago, I enjoyed going into deep waters, floating and allowing the waves to take me farther. I absolutely loved it. But then as I looked to the shore, I realised I was going a bit too far, I could no longer stand and had no control of my safety, and a sense of fear permeated my thoughts, so I eagerly went against the current and got closer to the shore to feel safe again.
I think moving with God is sometimes like that. It is great to be in his presence, to enjoy the flow and movement, feel the delight and move on. But then, we look around us and fear and doubt and self-limitations, desires, and reality strikes us and, guess what, instead of moving with God, we choose to trust self-security rather than God-security. Instead of placing our lives and movement in God`s Spirit, we wish to take charge so that we are in control.
I think the church is often like that, too. We are willing and wanting to move with God, to be with Him, to allow his Spirit to work graciously amongst us but we apply the brakes when we feel threatened that we may be losing control. When things that we protect such as our culture, language, beliefs, theological views, race, ethnicity, identity feel threatened we rather move on our own than move with God.
As the World Methodist Council, you are now on the move as new leaders are elected, as you ask what God is calling you to do in the face of old and new challenges in the world today. Our world is in such a mess with wars, conflicts, violence, a climate catastrophe, economic injustices, gender injustices, gender-based violence, migration, poverty, hunger, and the list go on. We have even more reason to move with God, but I often see churches going against God. We support and justify war and violence instead of peace, we breed conflict instead of seeking reconciliation, we foster disunity instead of unity, we generate hurt instead of healing and we turn a blind eye to injustices, and the persisting evils of colonialism, racism and sexism lives on even in the church. Financial constraints and struggles, declining congregations, missional challenges and given realities all call us to think differently about being church today. Crises can be opportunities if we stop to ask what new thing God is calling us into. This is an opportunity you have as the WMC as you move into the next phase of your life, work and witness in the world.
There is much to be learnt from our biblical passages read today. Each have something to tell us about how we ought to move with God. The idea of moving with God is a very powerful image in the scriptures. They speak to us about God moving toward us, us moving toward God and toward one another. Biblical history details these movements in different stories. The kingdom or reign of God is not static but dynamic. It has come, is amongst us and is coming all of these describes this dynamic movement of how God is working in the world. Christians are people on the way marching, moving and advancing towards God`s kingdom, even if at times it may not appear that way.
The World Council of Churches speaks about a Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation and Unity. It is a call to move beyond our comfort zones, to cross boundaries, and to engage deeply with the realities of our world. This paradigm is not just about physical movement but about a spiritual and moral journey that transforms both individuals and communities. The concept of pilgrimage in Christian theology is deeply rooted in the biblical narrative and reflects our relationship with God as a journey. This journey is characterized by movement, transformation, and a continual striving towards the divine. It depicts the fact that we are pilgrims and co-pilgrims on a journey addressing the negative realities, embracing the positives and seeking to be transformative disciples in the world. The idea of a pilgrimage speaks to the fact that we are people on the move. Our biblical readings today tell us the same.
A Journey of Faith
In Genesis 12:1-5, we encounter Abraham, who is called by God to leave his country, his people, and his father’s household to journey to an unknown land. This divine call is one of profound trust and obedience. It is a journey of faith in God. Abraham’s journey is not just a physical migration but a spiritual pilgrimage. He moves from the familiar into the unknown, guided solely by God’s promise. He is dislocated from his comfort and security and relocated into the unknown. Yet he remains firm and resolute to move with God despite the many challenges he faces.
This journey mirrors our own spiritual journeys. We are called to step out in faith, leaving behind our comfort zones, and embarking on a path directed by God’s promises. Just as Abraham was promised blessings and a future that would impact all nations, we, too, are called to be God`s blessings in the world.
Abraham’s journey also represents the beginning of a covenant relationship with God, marked by faith and obedience. This covenant relationship is foundational to our understanding of pilgrimage as a journey of faith and trust in God’s promises. As church, the body of Christ and people of God, we are called to move with God despite the odds, the enticements, temptations and challenges.
John Wesley saw the Christian life as a pilgrimage. He emphasized the need for continual growth in holiness and the pursuit of God’s promises. As you journey into the future let it be a journey of faith. Unlike Abraham, we do not necessarily completely step into the unknow. We can see around us. We know what is happening. And most times as people of God we know what we must do. Our difficulty is found in being obedient to God. As Abraham discovered, we too will find the same that obedience brings blessings.
A Journey of Hope
In Matthew 19:16-30, Jesus encounters a rich young man seeking eternal life. He is on a journey of hope. Hoping to acquire the real values of life. Hoping to find the real thing in life that matters that could find complete satisfaction and joy. All that he had and done seems not to be enough. The young man has followed the commandments faithfully, yet he senses there is more to discipleship. He does all the regular things of fulfilling the law and asks what else he could do to inherit eternal life. Jesus’ response, calling him to sell his possessions and give to the poor, strikes at the heart of what it means to truly follow Christ. It is a call to radical discipleship that prioritizes the Kingdom of God over earthly wealth and security.
This passage challenges us as individuals and as a church. It calls us to discern what we might need to leave behind to follow Jesus more fully. The virtues of discernment and detachment are crucial here. We must cultivate the ability to listen to God’s call amidst the many misleading voices, even within our churches, that can lead us astray, sowing discord and confusion, and to act with courage and faith. We must cultivate the virtue of discernment, both individually and collectively, to remain faithful to the truth we have received from God in Jesus Christ. This truth is the account we give as our hope in a troubled world. By grounding ourselves in this truth, we can truly guide people and lead them towards the light of Christ.
Discernment enables us to navigate the complexities of our world and to remain faithful to God’s call. It involves prayerful reflection, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and being open to God’s leading in our lives. As we cultivate discernment, we become better equipped to respond to God’s call and to lead others on their spiritual journeys. Our world is so reduced of hope. The wars that persist, the sufferings and struggles in life seem to overtake us and diminishes hope. Sometimes we must be like Abraham hoping against hope. The church needs to be active and living agents of hope in a world that desperately needs it. How do we move into hope?
The rich young man’s encounter with Jesus highlights the importance of prioritizing our spiritual journey over material possessions and stagnation. It calls us to a deeper level of discipleship, where following Christ means letting go of earthly attachments and embracing a life dedicated to God’s mission. The rich young man wanted to belong but ended up belonging to his belongings. He longed to possess something more deep, true and significant but he was possessed by his possessions. He did not have the courage to take the knife and cut the umbilical cord which tied him to his earthly goods, and he lost the opportunity to eternal gifts.
Sometimes what we love may not be what God loves, what we will is not be what God wills, what we want may not be what God wants and where we stand may not be where God stands because it is not holy ground. The church needs to constantly ask itself: Are we standing on Holy ground? Are we loving mercy, acting justly and walking humbly with our God? Are we serving justice, caring for the poor and needy. This precisely is what Jesus asked the rich young man to do. A movement towards hope is a movement towards justice, righteousness and peace. It is to stand where God stands. God stands with the poor, neglected, marginalized and rejected.
John Wesley frequently preached on the importance of self-denial and simplicity. He urged his followers to live modestly and to use their resources to care for the poor. Wesley’s teachings remind us that true discipleship requires sacrifice and a focus on eternal treasures rather than worldly wealth. He urged the faithful to let their hearts be whole with God and to be good stewards of the manifold gifts of God. Hope in God urges us, moves us and persuades us to work for a better world for all people and creation.
Hope expresses a dissatisfaction with the way things are and mobilizes the call for a new society and a just world. Hope generates a sense of anger at the injustices we see and stirs the courage that is needed to create an alternate society and different world. Our current reality is set with unnecessary wars in Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Palestine, Sudan, conflicts and violence in so many other parts of the world. Poverty, hunger, forced migration. Thousands of people, mainly women and children, die daily. Political powers seem totally incompetent or complicit to change these situations. The church cannot and must not remain silent. We need to raise our prophetic voices and call the powers that are into question. We must dare to hope in a time of hopelessness.
Let us not be stuck like the rich young man by his wealth so much so that we are paralyzed and unable to grasp the things of God and change the world. Let us not walk away sadly because we think we have much to lose if we are to truly follow Christ. Radical discipleship is letting go of what inhibits our vision of Christ and daring to take on what makes us more like him. It’s not easy but that is what true discipleship is all about.
Churches today are experiencing disunity and fragmentation on issues of theology, social ethical issues, personalities and power, material goods, ethnic and racial issues. We are losing our vision of Christ who calls believers into unity so that the world may believe that he is Lord. The message of hope diminishes when we focus on ourselves and not on proclaiming the good news of Jesus to the world.
As the WMC moves on, I ask you to prayerfully reflect on this question: How is the WMC proclaiming a message of hope in Jesus to a broken and suffering world?
A Journey of Love
As people on the move, we are called into a journey of love. The WCC theme at the 11th Assembly in 2022 was: Christ`s love moves us to reconciliation and unity. The sacrificial love of Christ ought to move us to love others as Christ loves us. It is not a cheap but costly love in that while we were, yet sinners Christ died for us, says the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 5.
Abraham`s move to the unknown was not only inspired by faith and obedience but by his love for God. A love that told him all that matters in life is to trust and follow God. The first disciples Jesus called left their nets to follow him. They we prepared to leave behind everything to follow Jesus. They learnt the meaning of radical and costly discipleship. It was the love of Jesus that moved them enough to see beyond their circumstances. They saw what was important in life. It is a pity the rich young man was not able to see this. He loved other things more than God. He loved his wealth more and failed to catch the sparkle of true love.
Tina Turner`s song asks: What’s love got to, got to do with it? Well, the Christian faith is a journey into love and love has everything to do with it. God`s love for the world, our love for God and love for the neighbour as ourselves. It`s all about love! Not just a second- hand emotion. To move on we must move in and with love. The way we see others, treat others, recognize others, include others and love others matter. This must be the direction of the church. Why? Because God is love and the church is called to exemplify the love of Christ. Christ`s love moves us to justice, reconciliation, and unity. As the WMC moves into the future may you continue to be guided and prompted by the love of God and God`s love for the world. God`s love is worldly. He does not only love the church. John 3:16 tells us that “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son…”.
Recently the WCC moved its offices from the historic Ecumenical Centre in which it was housed for almost 60 years to a new building in the Ecumenical Village. It was not an inviting move for many reasons. Perhaps, the most significant ones were the difficulties of giving up a space we have been familiar with for so many decades. Moving to a new office that is very different now with communal spaces, shared offices and prompting new ways of working called for serious adjustments. The very thought of the move was daunting and dreaded by many members of staff. I had to say to them it will be different but let us go into this new space and see how we can adapt. And now that we are there, people have realized that we must make it work. If fact, the majority have said, “Well it is not as bad as we were expecting.”
Change is difficult. We all struggle with change. We are glad to accept change so long as everything remains the same. But in life nothing is certain except as they say for death and taxes. Well, the story of Abraham tells us that you can count on God`s presence as we move into the future. With God before us and his Spirit leading us, we are safe. The journey may be rough and tough, but all will be well. God in Christ holds all things together.
On the move. That certainly describes you as the World Methodist Council today as you move into your Assembly and make significant decisions for the future. Let your journey be one of faith, hope and love. May these eschatological gifts guide your present into God`s future. A future in which justice, peace, righteousness, reconciliation and unity is found in the church as it leads in the world by proclamation and praxis into the love of Christ. You know that you are moving with God when these characteristics of justice, love, righteousness, compassion, unity are visible. You know you are moving with God when space is created for everybody, and no one is excluded from God`s abiding presence and love. When we choose to journey rather than judge. When we choose to speak the truth in love. When we choose to love rather than hate. For God is love and whoever lives in God lives in love. Does that describe us as followers of Christ?
May the church be a powerful instrument in God`s hand to move the world into justice, peace and love. However, for this to happen, we each need to pray, “Lord, first move in me and remove from me the things that do not reflect your glory, justice and hope so that through me you may move the world around me.” You see changing the world to reflect God`s glory begins with changing the church to live and be the glorious presence of God. This starts with me and not the other.
Friends, let us not be content with building sandcastles on the shore when God longs to move us into the deep. Into the depth of God`s love, justice, peace and joy. Maybe the time has come for us to no longer keep our feet on the ground but to rest our lives in the movement of God`s Spirit so that God not only changes us but through us moves the world into God`s love and grace. My prayer for the WMC is that as you move on, move with God. Journey in faith, hope and love. Be led by the Holy Spirit and help create a world that God longs and desires to renew through you and me, the church.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay
General Secretary
World Council of Churches