I write this from Cuernavaca, Mexico. Members of the Clergy Academy and I are here on a cultural immersion, learning Spanish and looking at social movements through the lens of liberation theology. We are studying at CILAC FREIRE and the school’s family of teachers, helpers, and host families have welcomed us with a generous hospitality that is humbling.
Each day one of the clergy lead us in a time of devotions. Each day has been a rich time of sharing. One morning, Rev. Yevette Christy challenged us: “What do you have to allow to die within you so that the new can be born?”
I have been reflecting on that question ever since. Even though our faith begins with the freshness of creation, finds its promise in the birth of a child, and leans into the unfailing hope found in the new life of resurrection, we cling to death as if our lives depend on it.
What do I refuse to let go of, that prevents me from enjoying the fullness of new life? What defenses that once kept me safe have outgrown their usefulness and now stunt my growth? What relationships prevent me from living into my authentic self? Where do I remain at a literal or figurative grave and see only what was, failing to see the seeds of new life seeking to burst all around me?
Likewise, what are we holding on to in the church that needs to die so new life can rise up? What are those habits, traditions, and ways of being and doing that need to die because they belong to a bygone era that no longer serves us well?
Do we have the courage to live into the power of our faith and let die those things that no longer work? Are you willing to trust that on the other side of death is new life?
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