This was written on the plane ride home, May 5, from the 2010 worship mentor gathering. 30 worship and arts leaders from around the country gathered in Ocean Grove, NJ to be the body of Christ to each other for a few days. One of those was Brennan Manning. It’s now July and I’ve just had the time and perspective to type and edit:
Brennan Manning is a hero. I experienced rare courage these past few days. I saw a man hobble into a room of people he neither knew nor could even see…knowing he was neither the person they thought he was nor able to deliver what they were expecting him to deliver. Brennan is not the same person, at least physically, that he was two years ago. Due to a serious fall, he’s virtually blind, unable to speak in a flowing stream of consciousness for more than a few minutes (obviously a problem for public speakers), repeats himself involuntarily, and takes unplanned, long pauses to collect his thoughts in an effort to try to remember where he was going or was with a thought. [This last one is something I do frequently so that was some consolation to me.]
So, there he was, alone and exposed in front of people he neither knew nor could see. But, he was there. He was with us as a fellow sojourner in Christ. Christian = little Christ. Brennan = little Immanuel. For two days, he led us and sometimes followed us through a discussion of what it means to live a life in light of God’s love for us… to live a life of “Abba, I belong to You.” For two days, he struggled to communicate what he desired to communicate, all the while in full knowledge of his diminished mental capabilities and apologizing for them. Yet, through those days, I encountered the truth and love of Christ like never before. Truly, 1 Corinthians 1:26-31.
I like to define spiritual friendship, sometimes mentoring, as being “steadfastly with”. This is a reflection of the nature of Jesus’ name and, therefore, the nature of Christ himself. Jesus came to be with us. He persevered through taking our sin and shame on the cross so he could be eternally with us. This is a simple way to look at what it means to follow Christ. Being with. With God. With people. If you’re with people, it implies that you are living out Eph. 4. Without living a life worthy of the calling you have received and being completely humble and gentle; without being patient and bearing with one another in love; it is impossible to be steadfastly with people.
Let me close with an open note of thanks to Brennan Manning. As I helped him to his car after two days of discussion and intense “being with," he repeated what he’d said in the last session, “In all my 40 years of ministry, I’ve never been ministered to and loved by a group of people to whom I’m speaking like I was by you. I’ll never forget these past two days.” In a blubbering mess of emotion and simplicity, I responded, “I have a feeling that we won’t either, sir.” Thank you, our new friend, for being courageously with us. Thank you for being the consummate little Immanuel.
7/12/10 8:02am
Hallelujah Lord Jesus, You Reign!