Author Archives: Kim Reisman

Please enjoy this seven-minute video on Evangelism and Embrace.

Originally appeared in Wesleyan Accent December 9, 2015

I’m an Advent geek. I love it. I treasure the familiar feelings my faith evokes during this time of year – a deep and abiding sense of hope, expectancy, and joy. I love the preparations – the feeling of my house as I finish decorating at 3 AM with only the quiet sound of Christmas music (Charlie Brown or maybe Ray Charles) playing in the background; the joy of finding just the right gift for someone I love and imagining their face when they open it; the way it smells when John (yes, John) finishes baking Bishop’s Bread.

Despite being one of my favorite times of year, it’s also a difficult time for me because the message of the season always seems out of sync with my experience of the world. There are almost too many disconnects between the Advent season of hope and peace, and our world of violence and heartbreak to mention. I hurt inside every time I scroll my newsfeed.

This internal conflict is not new for me. Every year it seems my heart sings with joy at the same it is breaking with sorrow. That’s because the disconnect isn’t just in my own mind and heart, it’s a foundational contradiction between the Jesus way and the way of the rest of the world – a contradiction and disconnect that’s been around since Jesus came on the scene in the first place.

I suppose that’s the point. It’s the disconnect that caused the prophet, Isaiah, to promise, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine…For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end.”

As Christ followers, in all times and seasons, but especially during Advent and Christmas, we declare to the world that we’ve seen that great light. Yet even as we make that proclamation, we can’t ignore that the world remains in deep darkness – God’s dream for the world remains a far cry from the nightmare that’s the reality in so many places today.

That is why proclaiming the good news of light in the midst of darkness isn’t about sentimental visions of Bethlehem’s deep and dreamless sleep as silent stars go by. It’s about recognizing that Isaiah’s promise of a great light is twofold: not only will a son be born to us, but that son, that Prince of Peace, will be “despised and rejected – a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.” (Isaiah 53:3)

Isaiah says that we will turn our backs on that Prince of Peace and look the other way. He will be despised but we won’t care. He will carry our weaknesses and our sorrows will weigh him down. He will be pierced for our rebellion and crushed for our sins. Isaiah says that the one on whose shoulders the government will rest – that Prince of Peace – the one whose peace will never end, will be beaten so we can be whole. He will be whipped so we can be healed.

Every December my heart sings with joy and breaks with sorrow because there is never a manger without a cross. The peace that the angels sing about isn’t a peace that can ever come through violence – no matter how “redemptive” we may believe that violence to be; no matter how much we believe we need to “teach our enemies a lesson.”

The peace the angels sing about is a peace that comes through self-giving love. Our Prince of Peace rules a kingdom whose goal isn’t victory on its own terms but peace on God’s terms.

That our Prince of Peace entered the world as a helpless child and left it as a crucified outcast tells me that God’s kingdom is one in which self-giving, vulnerable, love reigns supreme; a kingdom that at its very core is a radical repudiation of violence. And that stands in stark contrast to the kingdoms of this world.

Yet that disconnect raises as many questions about ourselves as it does about the world. I do not doubt that the issues that face us are complex, nor am I immune to an intense desire to see those who are doing so much harm brought to justice. But do we not mock the One we claim to follow when we fail to offer the merciful, forgiving, healing, redemptive, saving, love of Christ to all people – even our enemies? The witness of persecuted Christians across the world in contrast to our own shrill rhetoric convicts me of that painful truth.

During this Advent season, as we proclaim the good news that will bring great joy to all people, we ought also to recall the words of our Prince of Peace, who told us that God blesses peacemakers. Maybe in this season of peace and beyond, we need to ask how might we become more active in our peacemaking?

How might we love rather than hate our enemies?

How might we turn the other cheek, give freely, walk second miles, lower barriers, and come alongside others?

In other words, how might we live more into the likeness of the son whose birth we celebrate?

The questions remain. The disconnect remains. Yet we pray: Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

We pray that light will penetrate darkness, that violence and war will end, that the kingdom of our Prince of Peace – a kingdom of shalom – will indeed come.

From our archives, a reflection of how the Beatitudes highlight the contrast between God’s kingdom and the kingdom of our world.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. / Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. / Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. / Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. / Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. / Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. / Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. / Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. / Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. / Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. Matthew 5:3-12 (NRSV)

The Beatitudes are helpful to us because they highlight the contrast between God’s kingdom and the kingdom of our world. This contrast is crucial for our understanding because following Jesus side by side places us in sharp contrast with the world around us. As Peter was recognized to be a disciple of Jesus by the light of the fire, following in the Jesus way shines the light of blessedness on us, distinguishing us from our culture and making us recognizable as Christ followers.

The first thing to notice about the Beatitudes is that Jesus didn’t actually say them in the way we are used to hearing them. In the Aramaic that Jesus spoke, and the Greek in which Jesus’ words were written, the verb “are” is not present in the Beatitudes; that word was used to render his words into English.

Rather than statements— “Blessed are the poor in spirit”—Jesus gave us exclamations: “O the blessedness of the meek!”  

This is important because the Beatitudes aren’t statements about what might be, or about what could be. They are exclamations about what is. Jesus is announcing the privilege that is ours, to share with God in joy, to share the very blessedness that fills God’s heart. The New Living Translation uses the action word “blesses” rather than the adjective “blessed,” which helps us understand the “is-ness”—the present tense action—of what Jesus is saying. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for righteousness!  

The blessedness that God offers is ours now, not in some future time. Jesus is announcing the present reality of God’s blessing right now, in the present tense. (The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 1, by William Barclay; The Westminster Press, 1975; pages 88–89). These blessings, available right now, are quite a surprise when we consider what the world tells us affords blessing.

The world would have us believe that righteous, merciful ways of living are weak. The world would have us believe that mourning leads to unhappiness. In contrast, Jesus proclaims that meekness, humility, and persecution, rather than being sources of unhappiness or misery, are actually sources of spiritual giftedness. That is the surprise of the Beatitudes—what appears to be a source of unhappiness, turns out to be a source of joy and blessedness. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

From our archives, a reflection of how the Holy Spirit transcends borders and walls.

Migration, borders, citizenship. These are ongoing topics of emotion and debate. Yet, people live at the heart of most weighty issues: men, women, and children whose lives demand that conversations move beyond the hypothetical. That’s what I experienced while in Tijuana, Mexico, teaching at an evangelism seminar with our WME Institute.

**Take a deep breath, this is not a post about policy or politics. It’s a post about people. And the Holy Spirit.

While I was in Tijuana, I had the opportunity to visit the wall that separates Mexico from the United States. To the west is the Pacific Ocean – a beautiful sight from either side. Jutting inland from the Pacific is the border wall, brightly painted with wonderful, urban art. A garden runs beside the wall, edging a plaza with steps leading down to the ocean. A wonderfully cheerful atmosphere until you begin to gaze more deeply.

If you look closely, you’ll notice a locked gate. It leads into a “no man’s land” about 30 yards wide between the barriers that separate the two countries. Once a month, the Mexican government opens the gate and allows families to enter. They cross those 30 yards where others – family members or friends – wait beyond the US barrier.

There is no gate on the US side. But for a while, though separated by wire and watched by US border patrol officers, families can talk, clasping fingers through the small gaps, connecting across the barrier that divides them.

Every month, on the day the gate opens, the Methodist Church is present – on both sides of the wall. There is conversation. There is prayer.

And there is Holy Communion.

Together, the pastor in Mexico and the pastor in the US lead people in an act that transcends borders and walls, division and separation. Simultaneously, they all share in the bread of heaven and the cup of salvation.

I talk often about the importance of signs, all those visible tokens of unseen realities that are spiritually significant, all those things – sometimes miraculous, but often ordinary – that point to Christ and his healing, reconciling, redeeming love. I believe these Holy Spirit-infused moments, when the thin veil of reality billows ever so slightly and we gain a glimpse of something larger and deeper than ourselves, are the moments that form and strengthen and sustain us in faith and in life.

Jesus told us the poor would be with us for a long time. Because following Jesus is a long haul, full life project, it’s the same with the good work we do on his behalf. That is why signs are so important.

Though the issues encountered by a visit to the Mexico-US border in Tijuana are larger than any one person, as followers of Jesus, we work for God’s justice in our world. And amid that work, we gather, month after month, open to the power of the Holy Spirit to move aside the veil, as we embody through the bread and the cup our faith in the One who transcends all barriers and levels all walls.

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Travel is both a benefit and a burden of being involved in a global organization. I’m blessed to visit many amazing places; and yet, sometimes it happens at a breakneck pace. Last week, for instance, I traveled to Nigeria…for a grand total of 54 hours in Lagos. 

But those 54 hours reminded me of three important things. 

1. Relationships matter.

We have a great team in Africa! WME would never be able to have an impact if it weren’t for the committed folks who come alongside us all over the world. Although email and video conferencing are effective tools, there is nothing quite like meeting face to face – praying, eating, laughing, planning, hoping, and learning together. These things take on a deeper meaning when they are shared face to face. 

Relationships are like that. They require face time – and I don’t mean the Apple variety. This is true for our relationships within the church and outside of it. If we want to grow in our faith, if we want to impact others on behalf of Jesus Christ, we need to be willing to put in some significant face time. Growing in love and trust isn’t a “virtual” experience. 

2. People will surprise you.

God has blessed WME with excellent leadership in Africa for many years. Bishop Lawi Imathiu of the Methodist Church of Kenya and Bishop Mvume Dandala of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa not only provided outstanding leadership to WME, but they also took the time to become spiritual fathers to me as a growing disciple of Jesus Christ and as a leader in the church. These fathers in the faith have now stepped down from leadership in WME. I traveled to Nigeria to gather a new group to lead us in Africa. 

In anticipation of our time together, I created an agenda but worried that it might be too open, without enough information or guidance. I needn’t have worried. Each of these new leaders was eager and able to move forward, filled to the brim with ideas and excitement and hope. Each was committed to creating opportunities for others to discover faith in Jesus Christ. Each was ready to become a father or mother to the next generation of young leaders. 

My “open agenda” proved to be a good thing. It provided freedom for creativity and the wonderful surprise of innovation and new ideas. 

In our relationships – both within and outside the church – people will often surprise us with their willingness to explore and risk, to learn about Jesus Christ or to go deeper in their faith commitment. Often all they need is to sense that we are open to exploration and are willing to let go of our preconceived notions of how things should progress. 

Which leads to the third thing my 54 hours in Nigeria taught me. 

3. Things always look different from the outside. 

The tendency to hold preconceived notions about just about everything is an almost universal trait among human beings. We learn about other nations, cultures, and peoples through the media, our governments, the entertainment industry. We encounter individuals and very quickly formulate first impressions – about them or about whatever people group or culture or country they are part of. But these impressions or understandings are from the outside, rather than the inside. And things always look different from the outside. 

In addition to innovation and new ideas, the open agenda of our short time together in Lagos enabled me to see that the outside perspective does not always provide the most complete understanding. I had an outsider’s view of the needs of evangelism in Africa. These were not completely inaccurate, but they also weren’t accurate enough to create an environment of healthy collaboration. It was the view from the inside that was the most helpful in discerning how to proceed with our work together. 

As we seek to share our faith, or even come alongside others as they grow in discipleship, we must always remember that we are looking at them from the outside. That is our default vantage point. And things always look different from the outside. But to know another person deeply, to create the space necessary to grow in love and trust, we must come to see them from the inside. That is the perspective that leads to healthy relationships and to opportunities to share faith, grow love and deepen connections. 

With many branches of the Wesleyan Methodist family tree stretching around the globe, we hope to keep you connected to ongoing activities, celebrations, and challenges that about 80 million of our sisters and brothers from about 80 Methodist denominations are encountering.  

*In the Methodist Church in Brazil, the Chamber of Missionary Expansion has launched a new video series exploring topics like, “what is my place in mission?” and raising questions such as the distinction between “mission” and “missions.” Visit the official YouTube channel for the video series’ producing partner and official newspaper of the Methodist Church in Brazil, the Christian Exhibitor.

*A devastating earthquake has rocked the border region between Iraq and Iran, with death tolls continuing to climb past 400 and thousands injured. The earthquake, registering at 7.3, was felt as far away as Israel and Kuwait. Search and rescue efforts are underway. 

*Bishop Harald Ruckert from the Evangelisch-methodistiche Kirch – the Methodist Church in Germany – reports on the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. 

*This week with the World Methodist Council we focus our prayers for Aotearoa/New Zealand and Australia alongside the World Council of Churches. A guide for specific thanksgiving and intercession can be found here, along with a “Prayer for the Side-Lined, Lost, and Overlooked People.” 

*From the Methodist Church of South Africa, Presiding Bishop Zipho Siwa has issued a call to confront gender-based violence in a short video message. 

*The global relief agencies of several Methodist bodies in Britain, Australia, the U.S., and Ireland have come together in response to the humanitarian disaster unfolding against the Rohingya people of Myanmar. 

*Currently the Korean Methodist Church has missionaries in 71 countries around the world. 

*In October, a delegation from the World Methodist Council traveled to the Vatican for an audience with Pope Francis to celebrate 50 years of Methodist-Catholic dialogue. Among the contingency was Dr. Kimberly Reisman, Executive Director of World Methodist Evangelism.  [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

At World Methodist Evangelism, we engage with the world in ways which feel current and timely. Often, I travel to wonderful places around the world where I witness to and participate in God’s inbreaking Kingdom. It is amazing to see the same Spirit of God at work in different cultures, through different languages. 

Yet the church is not just what we can see here and now. When we participate together in worship, we not only allow God to form and shape our hearts, we allow other Christians to serve as channels of God’s grace in our lives. Even further, we allow ourselves to be shaped and molded by other Christians long gone who came before us – sisters and brothers who wrote prayers, hymns and established worship practices many centuries before we were born. 

Last week, many Christians observed All Saints’ Day, and yesterday congregations set aside time to remember the saints from local churches who died in the past year. These times often are marked by gratitude for their lives and examples, grief at their loss, and hope for ultimate reunion and restoration. Honoring All Saints’ Day can point us to three simple truths about the universal church. 

First, the church is bigger than we can imagine. Not only is it difficult to remember how many Christians are living and worshiping around the world, it can also be a challenge to recall, along with the writer of the book of Hebrews, that we are surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses.” It is hard to feel isolated or alone when we read about the lives of Christians who have come before us. 

Second, the church existed before easy international travel was possible. Now, one can fly from one side of the globe to the other in 24 hours or less. But technology does not make the church possible: the church was birthed in a simple room where people were gathered praying to receive the Holy Spirit. Throughout the centuries, the church was never extinguished. Certainly, technological advancements helped certain movements of God, like the invention of the printing press or ships built to cross oceans. They are tools that can be used, but the church is not dependent on these tools: the church is only dependent on God. 

Third, the church outlasts kingdoms, nations, empires, and leaders. Dynasties rose and fell, kings lived and died, nations conquered and diminished. Whatever the local context, the church has always outlasted it, because it is founded on Jesus Christ, not on any nation’s values or goals. No tyrant can destroy the church, and no hero can save it: it is the Body of Christ enlivened by the Holy Spirit, beyond eradication. We can steward it well through the insights of scripture and the examples of the saints and the empowering of the Holy Spirit, but no one owns it. 

How do you picture the church? Have you fostered an awareness of the great communion of saints in which you participate? What are your hopes for the Body of Christ this year? 

Recently I visited Rome for a meeting of the Steering Committee of the World Methodist Council. Our meeting coincided with the 50th anniversary of the launch of the Roman Catholic-Methodist Dialogue. To mark that jubilee event, we had a private audience with Pope Francis and several lectures on the details of the dialogue process over these past 50 years. It was an incredible experience. 

There were several things that I expected about this trip – to be wide-eyed at the beauty of the city. To be star-struck by Pope Francis. To be nervous amid the pomp and protocol of the Vatican and the Swiss Guards. 

What I didn’t expect was to learn much about evangelism. I was wrong. My experience in the Eternal City taught me three important things about evangelism. 

1) The importance of patience. The dialogue between the Methodist family of Christians and the Roman Catholic family of Christians has been going on for 50 years. It began with a commitment simply to talk. To learn about the other. Slowly, a depth of commonality emerged – shared theological understandings of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Of baptism, justification, and holiness. With each new discovery came a desire to continue talking and walking together, a commitment that is moving with joyful anticipation into the next 50 years. 

Fifty years of conversation. Fifty more to come. Patience was, is, and will be crucial. 

The same can be said of evangelism. We must be willing to walk with others for a long time, patiently nurturing a desire to continue talking, sharing, and learning. Patiently praying for the Holy Spirit to move within us, and between us, and through us. 

If we are patient, as we walk and talk with others, we will uncover a depth of commonality and shared need. Why should it be otherwise? We are all human. 

If we are patient, as we walk and talk with others, we will discover that God arrived long before we did – prepared the soil, planted seeds, watered and weeded and pruned in ways that we could never imagine or predict. 

If we are patient, as we walk and talk with others, we will realize that the Holy Spirit works in two directions, transforming us, not just others. If we are patient, the Holy Spirit will open our eyes to the ways our story, and another’s story, and God’s story all intersect and intertwine. And if we are patient, those intersections can become opportunities to share our own experience of faith and point others to the center of that faith – Jesus Christ. 

2) The power of imagery. This week culminates the wide-ranging celebrations that have marked 500 years since the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation was a powerful movement that opened a new chapter of spiritual growth and exploration. And yet, for all the wonderful things gained through this break with the Roman Catholic Church, I believe (at least) one significant thing was lost (or forgotten): the power of imagery. In our zeal for reform, we abandoned statues and imagery and focused on The Word to convey the profound spiritual truths of the Christian faith. But spiritual truth is always laden with mystery, and the Holy Spirit moves in ways that are often deeper than words alone can describe.  

While in Rome I visited the Sistine Chapel, adorned with Michelangelo’s stunning frescoes. On the end wall is his vision of the Last Judgment taken from John’s Revelation. It is a powerful piece of art, almost overwhelming in its detail. And yet, at the center is the resurrected Christ. The entire scene revolves around him. You can see the holes in his feet from the nails of the cross, and the cut in his side from the spear of the Roman guard. 

As I focused, I realized this Christ looked completely different from other renderings I had seen. This Christ was full-bodied and strong. He was muscular and his posture exuded power and authority. His sheer physicality was remarkable. 

I have always emphasized the whole-creation nature of salvation. When God’s kingdom comes in its fullness, it will be amidst the physical universe – not in some far away spiritual realm. And yet, gazing at this robust embodiment of God, the tangible and earthly nature of God’s future hit me in a new way. Seeing, rather than reading or hearing, heightened my spiritual awareness. 

In evangelism, we can never limit God to words. This may seem counterintuitive given the age-old association of evangelism with preaching. But God is bigger than words alone can contain. And God reveals Godself to the whole of who we are – not just to our minds, but to our senses, our emotions, our intuitions, our passions. If we are to become channels of Holy Spirit transformation, we must be willing to discover or rediscover the power of images to convey truths much deeper than words alone can convey. 

3) The significance of space. The steady growth in conversation between Methodists and Roman Catholics required space. Each had to create space for the other to inhabit. Each had to “make room” for the other before thoughts and ideas could be exchanged. 

Though we may not describe it this way, at the heart of the Christian understanding of God is an understanding of space. When God created the universe from nothing, God first had to create space for it to inhabit. When God became human in Jesus, his open arms on the cross signaled that God had created space for humanity to return to fellowship. In all of God’s seeking and searching, God creates space within God’s very self, for each of us and for all creation. 

Evangelism is about creating space – making room. We will never be able to share the gospel with others if we have not first made space for them in our lives and in our hearts. That space frees the Holy Spirit to do her* work so that lives can be transformed and God’s kingdom more fully realized.  

How has travel expanded your perspective on faith-sharing? What have you learned when you are in a new setting? How have you practiced patience, valued the arts, or created space in your own posture towards others? 

*It was common for some early church fathers especially in the East, including Aphraates, to refer not to the whole Godhead but individually to the Holy Spirit with feminine pronouns, such as in “The Fifty Homilies of Makarios,” a church father who influenced Count Zinzendorf and John Wesley. 

Last week, as can be read about more extensively here, Dr. Kimberly Reisman, Executive Director of World Methodist Evangelism, joined the World Methodist Council delegation visiting the Vatican for ecumenical dialogue and an audience with Pope Francis. 

The meeting celebrated 50 years of Methodist-Catholic dialogue that was initiated following the sweeping changes of the Second Vatican Council.  

The delegation included the World Methodist Council Steering Committee, Pastor Mirella Manocchio – President of L’Opera per le Chiese Evangeliche Metodiste in Italia (OPCEMI), and members of the Methodist Roman Catholic International Commission for dialogue. 

The occasion was marked by Bishop Ivan Abrahams, General Secretary of the World Methodist Council, and Pope Francis, leader of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, giving remarks celebrating the carefully built camaraderie over the past several decades and observing areas of shared interest, respect, and partnership. 

Later in the evening, an ecumenical prayer service was held, presided over by Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, His Excellency the Most Reverend Brian Farrell.