In last month’s update, I made a passing reference to the tongue-in-cheek placeholder name for our community (before we landed on The Initiative) as “FOJ (Friends of John)”. Somewhere in there, I think we also played around with the idea of keeping the FOJ and just subbing in “Jesus” for “John”. Ergo, the “Friends of Jesus”
That idea, of course, comes from the 15th chapter of the Gospel of John, where Jesus tells his followers that he no longer considers them servants but friends. And so it would have been an entirely appropriate name. Because at a foundational level, we are a company of friends across difference and division. This is captured in the beginning of our way (or rule) of life: “to take the initiative to walk in deeper friendship with Jesus and all his followers.”
If we endeavor to live out that way of life, then we become companions of one another, with Jesus, the True Friend, as our guide. I suppose if all Jesus-followers are in essence “friends of Jesus” then the way of The Initiative may need a little more specificity in its description. Perhaps more accurately then, we are “the friends of the friends of Jesus” – committing ourselves to the friendship work of Jesus.
I believe we are finding ourselves in a most opportune time to lean into this work: To be more intentional about our friendships – especially our friendships that extend beyond our own culture, theology, geography, or generation. To be formed more deeply in the way of Jesus as a friend. To pray and to work proactively for greater friendship between Jesus’ friends. How might Jesus be inviting you to be a friend of his friends?
To that end, I want to yet again encourage you to join us in June for our national gathering. Come experience this company of friends across difference and division. Come and explore the friendship work of Jesus. Come and be formed in the virtue of Jesus-shaped friendship. We’d love for as many of you as possible, our “friends” who read these updates, to be with us for these three days. Resources are available to help you be there. Please prayerfully consider it!
Final Zoom conversation and prayer times of the “school year”
We started hosting these conversations and prayer times back in August, and we’ll have a couple more of them before we take a break for June and July. We’d love to have you join us for one!
- The next prayer gathering will be next Wednesday April 22nd – 8:00 to 9:00pm Eastern. Zoom link
- On Wednesday, May 6th from 8:00 to 9:30pm Eastern we’ll dig into Ephesians once more and talk about the imperative to “make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (a verse that’s embossed on the side of Philip Melancthon’s statue in Wittenberg, Germany, btw). Zoom link.
- Finally, May 20th – 8:00 to 9:30pm Eastern. This will be our last prayer time before the national gathering (and we’ll also do a little celebrating of our online community this year). Zoom link.
Resource of the month: Spiritual Formation and Spiritual Direction for practicing “love greater than division”
As I alluded to above, the friendship work of Jesus (and the work of Christian unity more broadly) is a process of formation. Moving toward others who are different or divided from us is not our “default” posture. We need to be more shaped into the image of Jesus to engage others with integrity and love.
Spiritual formation practices are essential to our growth in this way.Things like silence, solitude, rule of life, guided retreats and discernment are means that God can use to develop the characteristics of Jesus-shaped self-giving love in us.
For those of you in the greater Boston area, there’s a great formation opportunity coming up in early May, led by Elizabeth Woodard, one of our Leadership Council members. Vulnerability and cruciformity are two essential virtues for living out love greater than division. If you click on the image below, you can find out more information and register for the day-long retreat.
Elizabeth is also a trained spiritual director, as is Juan Medina, another of our Council members. I’d encourage you to check out their resources, as well as investigating other practices with your own spiritual director or in some kind of formation space, in order to be shaped by Jesus to be more Jesus-shaped in the ways that you move toward others in love.
On the Mailchimp app that I use to format and send out these updates, this mailing list is labeled “Friends of The Initiative”. Thank you for being our friends (“friends of the friends of the friends of Jesus”? 😬) as you read, pray, give and participate. I’m deeply grateful for each one of you.
May you continue to walk in deeper friendship – with Jesus and with his followers – in the month ahead.
Yours in Christ’s Love,
Scott Brill
Executive Director
