Love As Blessings
A Reflection and Commentary from Dr. Jessica M. Smith, Senior Executive of Director Research, Planning and Spiritual Formation, The General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church.
I recently facilitated a theological reflection on economic inequality to a college group at the United Methodist Building in Washington, DC on Capitol Hill.
When discussing questions of wealth and blessings, one student remarked, “When I think about blessings, I realize that not all blessings come from God. Sometimes, they come from the devil.“ He went on to reference how the Adversary’s offers of wealth and power were concrete temptations of Christ in the wilderness. Yet, Christ turned away from such offers, instead insisting on the sovereignty of God.
The group came to ask a helpful question in light of the discussion: “So, when we think something is a blessing, could it actually be a lesson?”
For some of us, we may not crave power or wealth but rather fall into the temptation of a different kind – of cynicism, despair, and nihilism. Difficulty lies in the challenge of acknowledging a suffering, broken world, while not giving up hope.
This past week I spoke with a young woman from Arkansas. When I asked her about how she sustains her work for justice, she said, “I have to believe change is possible to support others.”
Faced with suffering and injustice, we as United Methodists are called to stand for hope in the face of adversity, change in the face of fear, and love in the face of hate.
Extending The Love of Christ
The love that we offer to one another is sustained through faith, a vital trust in God’s unconditional love poured out for us and all of God’s creation. This is a love that is nourished when we hold hope for one another. We cannot be in solidarity with our neighbors and offer mutual support, if we do not believe that change is possible.
As Rev. Dr. Connie Semy Mella says, “The piety of our hearts must be manifested in the society where we belong…the holiness of our hearts must be translated to a social relationship that would bring healing to the whole creation.”
Acts of social witness, intimate dialogue with one another on difficult issues, and speaking our convictions in the world are practices that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, can be channels of God’s grace. They extend God’s love into the world through us while also helping to graciously form and strengthen us as the body of Christ.
Faithful Discipleship as an Act of Public Witness
In the preamble of the Social Principles, it reads, “Jesus calls every generation to wholehearted discipleship: opening our hearts to the people we encounter daily; practicing compassion with our families and neighbors; honoring the dignity and worth of all people near and far; recognizing systems that destroy human lives through poverty, war, and exclusion; and advocating justice and care in our churches, communities, and social structures.” (“Preamble,” Social Principles of The United Methodist Church 2025-2028)
Faithful discipleship involves intentional acts that turn away from the false blessings that tempt us and instead embrace the blessings that come when we continue to confess our sins and embrace the path of Christ.
Our acts of public witness are means of grace, avenues by which God’s love may be known through our actions as we in turn, are formed in the way of Christ– as persons and communities that are more merciful, compassionate, and just.
