Happy New Year! Welcome to 2018!
Do you have hopes, aspirations or resolutions for the upcoming year?
I have been intrigued by reports in the news and on social media that, more than ever in recent years, people desire peace, harmony, positivity. My sense is these desires are grounded in a pervasive feeling of the conflict, consternation and challenges in the world. Dreams of winning the lottery or losing a few extra pounds pale in comparison with a dream for what I would term the Beloved Community.
“Dr. King’s Beloved Community is a global vision, in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth. In the Beloved Community, poverty, hunger and homelessness will not be tolerated because international standards of human decency will not allow it. Racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice will be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood. In the Beloved Community, international disputes will be resolved by peaceful conflict-resolution and reconciliation of adversaries, instead of military power. Love and trust will triumph over fear and hatred. Peace with justice will prevail over war and military conflict.”
I believe that people are hungry for this world that Dr. King envisioned. A world that Presiding Bishop Curry often refers to as God’s dream and what many believe Jesus is describing when he speaks of the Kingdom of God. A world that we in ECMN are aspiring to be part of creating as we work to Engage God’s Mission of the Beloved Community.
So whether you’re a person who tends to make New Year’s resolutions or not, my hope and prayer for all of us in 2018 is that we will use the gifts that God has given us to help realize the vision, the dream of God’s mission of the Beloved Community.
Source: Bishop Brian Prior – A Beloved New Year