By: The Rev. Beth Crissman, Uwharrie District Superintendent and Director of Peace Building Ministries of the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church
“sac-ra-men-tal: (adj) exhibiting visible signs of God’s invisible grace, sanctifying daily life”
As a clergyperson, there is something sacramental about putting on my stole before preaching, presiding at the Lord’s Table, baptizing a child, marrying a couple, or celebrating the life of a loved one lost. Each time I place the stole around my neck, I am reminded of the calling extended through my ordination to re-present Christ in the sacred moments of others’ lives.
During the recent General Conference gathering of the United Methodist Church in Charlotte, N.C., I experienced daily that same humble calling as I placed around my neck not a stole, but a red apron. As a member of the Hospitality Team of volunteers, I welcomed, registered, guided, and directed those who would participate in and witness the pivotal decisions that are changing the direction of our denomination. But even though I never cast a single vote on any legislative matter, along with hundreds of others who donned those red aprons, I set the tone of radical welcome and hospitality that should shape our churches moving forward.
For over fifty years, our General Conference gatherings have seldomly been hospitable and welcoming, especially to our LGBTQ+ siblings and their allies. When some are not welcome, none are truly welcome. When we create an atmosphere that is unwelcoming to some, by extension our spaces block true communion and community, both essential expressions of our Judeo-Christian faiths.
As we smiled and greeted the delegates as they arrived early in the morning to begin their work of discernment and deliberation, it mattered not how they would vote that day. They were all greeted with the same love and welcome, each acknowledged for their same “sacred worth,” truly. And even as long-awaited decisions were made to widen our embrace as a denomination by ending decades of discrimination, the atmosphere of General Conference remained hospitable despite differing hopes of some, moving us a few steps closer to finding unity amid our diversity.
As a sacramental people, God is calling us to embody visible signs indicative of God’s invisible grace, thus sanctifying the lives of others, every day. And one powerful way to do this, every day, is to extend radical welcome and hospitality to each person we encounter, regardless of who they are, what they might think, or even how they might vote in times that matter, whether at General Conference or in the national elections this fall.
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul charges us, daily, to put on the “full armor of God” when he says:
Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against the mighty powers of darkness. Ephesians 6:10-12
I can’t help but hear this as a call to put on the full apron of God, extending radical welcome and hospitality as a means of standing firm in God’s radical grace. Since General Conference, hanging in my office over all of stoles is my red apron, a daily reminder of my sacramental calling. What if you join me in putting on your apron, too?
About the Author
The Reverend Beth Crissman
The Rev. Beth Crissman is an ordained elder in the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church where she serves as the Uwharrie District Superintendent and Director of Peace Building Ministries. Beth and her husband, the Rev. Kelly Crissman, live in Albemarle where they enjoy hiking in the Uwharrie Mountains and wearing their red aprons!
###
Council Connections is a platform where diverse voices from our network share their unique perspectives and offer insightful commentary on key topics and pressing issues. These Council Voices aim to connect you with thought leaders and experts, providing a space for meaningful dialogue and the exchange of ideas that shape our community and beyond.
