Dispatches from GA227: Marta and Kris have shepherds crooks, and so do we

Jul 2

Photo: Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Gathering as the General Assembly brings a strong sense of the connectional Church, reminding us that our faith is never meant to be lived alone.

We began our time together with the scriptural image of the impossible: a tree rooted on both banks of a river. That image stayed with us through every debate and vote. Sitting in those committee rooms and standing on the plenary floor shows the democratic and discerning spirit of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) at work.

It is an experience that transforms a title into a living duty for the next two years, challenging us to stretch across divides just like that impossible tree.

When we base our life together on the instructions of Matthew 25, the Gospel stops being just an idea and becomes a real plan for justice. The text does not give suggestions. It demands an active commitment to the most vulnerable people around us.

Like a tree drawing water from opposite shores, this scripture forces us to plant ourselves firmly in two worlds at once: the deep reality of our faith and the hard struggles of our society. To follow Christ here means recognizing that what we say we believe matters only if we are willing to fight the unfair systems of our day.

True obedience to the Gospel requires us to be completely clear about what we must reject.

We cannot celebrate peace while staying silent on war and violence.

We cannot praise the Creator while destroying the earth.

Rejecting racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and transphobia is not a political stance; it is the basic requirement of seeing God's image in every single human being.

Even the quiet traps of our culture, like the mental slavery of consumerism, must be named and resisted if we want to choose grace over greed.

Standing firm against these evils requires a deep, wide root system that can hold fast even when the currents of the world pull hard.

Yet, the Gospel is never just about what we say no to. The true power of the General Assembly is what we say yes to through our actions and advocacy.

By standing against hunger, poverty, homelessness, and the harsh realities of prison and capital punishment, we choose mercy. We show that the love of God is an active, freeing force in the world, stretching out branches of shelter and healing to everyone in need.

This is the new thing the Holy Spirit is doing among us, making the impossible real right before our eyes.

In the installation of the Rev. Marta Pomroy Cordero and the Rev. Dr. Kris Schondelmeyer, we see a Church that refuses to stand still, growing robustly across old barriers.

Leadership right now means letting the Spirit push us outward, far past the comfort of our church walls, anchoring us on both banks of the human experience.

We have two years. We, commissioners, we elders, with Marta and Kris holding the shepherds’ crooks, have two years.

As we carry this commission forward, our duty is to make sure the Good News is not just talked about, but clearly lived out through our work and our love, standing tall and bearing fruit for the healing of the world.

And we will report on what the Holy Spirit has allowed us to do, our failures and our accomplishments both, as the 228th General Assembly meets in Puerto Rico.