Present

2 John 4

Faith is a family affair. Our praxis passes from one generation to another. We transmit it through words, deeds, and perhaps most importantly, presence—how we are in the world reveals where we are with God. 

That last point is where we need to begin because it truly carries the heaviest consequences of the three. Anyone can talk about what they believe, but the proof comes in the way we are. Lots of people do lots of things for a lot of reasons. Some of those deeds align perfectly with the direction of Christ, but there was no intention behind that alignment—it just happened. Similarly, lots of things get done in the name of Christ that have little or nothing to do with the actuality of Christ. The presence of the doer reveals the intent of the deed. A fair warning—hypocrisy reveals itself quite easily and readily. Presence reveals the truth, no matter how hard we deny it. 

Now, that may seem a heavy-handed means by which to begin this meditation, but I just want us clear on what is at stake. We take the name of Jesus, what does our presence reveal about how seriously, sincerely, and completely we take that name? 

John looks at the family of one of his closest congregants. We have no idea who the “dear lady” is to whom this epistle is addressed (2 Jn. 1). Scholars are equally divided on whether she is an actual person—one of the elders, perhaps, in this congregation John founded, or is John being poetic, referring to the whole church with the personal appellation of “dear lady”? Either way, John assesses the presence of the addressed. He does so by looking at the children.

Our children reveal an awful lot about us. Others begin to form an opinion about our families as they interact with our children. Professionals want family histories to clearly delineate the things inherited by the children from their family. Doctors do so to stake the flags for potential health issues down the road, or to understand a current state of health. Therapists do so to form a picture of emotional foundation that brings a person to their counsel. Families shape their members. Lawyers will do so to try an comprehend a client’s behavior or response to a given situation. Perhaps most importantly, parents of playmates make assessments based on the behavior and presence of the children playing, deciding who is fit to play. Families lay foundations for actions and interactions. So, as we consider the life and work of faith, it comes as no surprise that families shape children’s walk with God. 

John is delighted with what he sees. The “dear lady” has laid a good foundation. Some of her children walk closely with Christ. Her presence has informed them of the importance of that walk. Her presence has taught them what that walk requires. They walk strongly and well.

But, note that “some”—there is still more to do and to be. John moves on to a call to reconnect and recommit to the central tenet of his entire theological understanding—love—love as defined and embodied in Christ. The “dear lady” is invited to keep at it, keep being all she can, so the “some” can become “all”.

His call to her is his call to us across the ages.

Our preschool resumed for another year this week. The fact that our preschool families chose the church as the environment for the earliest education for their children is important and cannot be glossed over. We need to consider why parents would make such a choice. One reason is the hope that teachers in such a school would approach their children in a way aligned with the love that is God. They hope for a compassionate environment. They hope that just as Christ took the children upon his knee and blessed them, so, too, will their children be blessed in the presence of those working under the name of Christ. Second, we live in a secular time, i.e., some of our families chose our school because it is the only form of church they want. They understand the power of a walk with God, but for whatever reason choose not to enter the institution of faith, other than to entrust their children to its care, perhaps hoping that the walk with God will touch their children in the most relevant ways without all the baggage that comes with more institutional involvement—i.e., a direct experience of the love of Christ without the institutional malarky that so muddles church life. For still others, it is the necessary step of a life intentionally lived as a praxis of faith. They entrust their children to this church school as the first step in a schooling that will always be part of a faith praxis, be it with intentional religious schools for each level of school, or as a religious foundation that a child will take with them as they enter public school, backed by regular attendance and participation in a community of faith. 

The issue for us as we meet these families in whatever journey brought them here is how we are present with them and for them. Are we meeting them with the love of God? Are we embodying that love in our presence, revealed in how we speak to them and act among them? Further, as they encounter us away from these walls, seeing us in the world, will our presence confirm what we say we believe? Never underestimate the power of a casual encounter at a restaurant or grocery store—“Oh, you are from church! I see you when I bring my children there!” What does your presence tell them about that walk with God?

Faith is a family affair. How we interact as a family of faith shapes and forms those who interact with us. What are we saying? What are we doing? What does it mean?

Those questions lead us into the journey ahead. Ask them and seek the answers.