I received a letter from myself in the mail this week. It was a manifesto I wrote while on a retreat called "Courage To Lead." It was an exercise to help me clarify what I long for in my life. A manifesto is "a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of it issuer (Merriam-Webster.com)." It occurs to me now that we Christ-followers are baptized into the manifesto of the Kingdom of God. On that day we declare that "we renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of our sin." We "confess Jesus Christ as our Savior, put our whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as our Lord." We "accept the freedom and power God gives us to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they take." We promise to be Christ's representatives in the world and support his work through the Church by our prayers, presence, gifts, and service.
Jesus, when asked by followers of John the Baptist whether he was the Messiah replied, you might say, with his living manifesto. "Tell John the baptist what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them (Matthew 11: 4-5)." His living manifesto broke the healing Kingdom of God into time! As followers of Jesus, the baptismal manifesto and the living manifesto Jesus sent to John become our manifestos. We'll be talking about this Sunday at my church in Sanford. You can also catch the sermon online or find out more about how we seek to live this out on facebook.
Retreat Manifesto
*Run when you want to, especially in the rain.
*Write in season, out of season, when there is a why and where there isn't, just because you can and want to and need to and, best of all, because it gives you pleasure.
*Be thrilled and scared swimming in mysteries you don't understand, and don't wait for those on the shore who think they have the answer or those on the other shore too afraid to ask.
*Stop worrying how everything will turn out. Stop trying to manage your life as though you could keep it. While scrambling to assemble it the way you want it will have already passed by, surprises and all.
*Be mindful of your departure day and the gifts of clarity it will bring about what's important...love in family and community, joy in food and breezes, satisfaction of good work, and looks that tie one soul to another.
*Refuse to run the world's race. Life is gift not conquest. The spoils are to the walkers, the meanderers, those who savor, reflect on, and soak in the full taste of what is in their mouths. There is no need for more when goodness has been fully appreciated.
*Learn the patient patterns of the seasons, feel them, smell them, don't insulate yourself from them. Let the cold run through you like a sword and the heat melt you like wax. Be refreshed and hopeful in the changes.
*Play, especially when you're tired and grumpy.
*Rest when you're tired. You don't need anyone's permission.
What is your manifesto?
