"Since we have such a hope, we are very bold." 2 Corinthians 3:12 Recently, my little parish, St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church, took on a bold move. We booked Nadia Bolz-Weber to speak at our little church in July 2016. For those in the Christian community who might not know of her (maybe they just returned from Timbuktu, or came out from under a rock), Nadia Bolz-Weber is an ordained ELCA pastor of a church in Denver, House for all Sinners and Saints. She is the author of the best-selling book, Pastrix, and the upcoming and much-awaited book, Accidental Saints. (Find more information click this link: Nadia Bolz-Weber's Website Booking someone like Nadia is bold on a few levels, bold in scope because we hope for regional attention and attendance, bold in action, because promoting and organizing the event will take considerable (but enjoyable) effort from our parishioners, and bold in budget, because we are placing a big financial bet on the greater community to step up and purchase tickets. As I brought this idea to our vestry, I had to consider this question, “Why? Why should we put our effort, our enthusiasm, and our money into booking a big-name speaker when we already hear the gospel in inspiring sermons several times a week from our rector? Why is this important while we struggle to serve to our community, run a resale ministry and various other outreach activities, and maintain our shoestring budget? Why do we need Nadia? What can she bring to us?”
The answer for me, personally, was boldness and bravery. I love Jesus Christ and I love my church, but I hold that love close to my heart. Outside of my blog and intentional conversations with some of my friends, a person might now know how important my Christian faith is to me. I don’t wear a cross, I don’t have a Jesus fish on my car, sometimes I even downplay my activities at church. When going to Ascension service, or vestry meetings, or fundraisers, sometimes I just tell my friends, “I’ve got a thing tonight.” I am afraid to be one of those “bible-beaters”, the people from my youth who were so high on the spirit that they tried to convert everyone they knew. I am afraid to be cast as one of “those Christians”, the judgmental kind, who think everyone who isn’t saved in their special way of saving is going to burn in hell for eternity. So, I keep a little bit quiet about my faith, and I am ashamed of that.
Too often, the loudest Christian voices are the most conservative, leaving those of us with moderate and liberal views left to wonder how we fit in. It’s hard to get publicity when the great claim of your church is “We take the Middle Way. We love everyone!” Reactions range from indifference to suspicion. It is hard to be heard above the cacophony of judgment and hate. Nadia makes herself heard. She is an outspoken voice for inclusion and love of ALL people in traditional church--ALL PEOPLE--people in the LGBTQ community, people suffering from addiction, people suffering from mental illness, and people who happen to be suburban soccer moms driving mini-vans (yes, we need a church, too, my friends). Nadia is loud and proud and she literally wears her faith on her sleeve, in a tattoo of Mary Magdalene. Nadia makes me proud to be one of "those Christians"--a Jesus-loving, God-embracing, advocate for love in this world!
Not only is she an outspoken advocate for the disenfranchised and a powerful voice of love in the church, she is a damn good theologian. She preaches the gospel of grace--unearned, universal, catholic grace--as found in the love of Jesus Christ. She doesn’t water down her Jesus. She doesn’t apologize for her faith in Jesus, or rationalize the sacred mystery; she proclaims the Gospel (with a capital G) from the rooftops, reaching the people who the church might just forget. She speaks the seducing power of the love of Christ, the way C.S. Lewis did, the way Robert Farrar Capon did, the way that romanced me back into the church. I couldn’t quite believe that I would actually find a God of love and grace, wrapped up in traditional liturgy. Was it possible that the church I left because I thought it was wrought with judgment and self-denial was actually a party of forgiveness, love, and inspiring, uplifting, transforming grace? Lewis, Capon, and now Nadia Bolz-Weber promised me that it was just that party. On their promises, I returned to church and found the glory in traditional liturgy, humbleness in service, and the blinding love of God reflected in the eyes of my fellow Christians.
My friends, we need Nadia because she’s not afraid to proclaim her faith.. She doesn’t hide her light under a bushel. She proclaims that we are all loved children of God, we are all sinners, we are all saints; she says it boldly and bravely. This year, I challenge myself to be brave in faith, be bold in actions and words, and be a little bit more like Nadia Bolz-Weber.
For information about our event in Antioch, IL, click this link: Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church
and like this Facebook page: Nadia Bolz Weber at St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church
and stay tuned to this blog for updates.
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