From Enemies Into Guests

Psalm 27:5-9
For he will hide me in his shelter
    in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
    he will set me high on a rock.Now my head is lifted up
    above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
    sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
    be gracious to me and answer me!
“Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, do I seek.
    Do not hide your face from me.Do not turn your servant away in anger,
    you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off; do not forsake me,
    O God of my salvation! 

I’ve always been uncomfortable with the phrase “enemies.” It evokes a level of animosity that I think should be alien to the church. Unfortunately, in my own experience, I’ve seen too many within the church embrace the language of enemies to argue that the church is engaged in some form of spiritual warfare against “the world.” It seems odd to me that God would want an adversarial relationship between the church and the world that

God called us to love and serve.I recently came across this quote from twentieth-century priest and mystic, Henri Nouwen: “That is our vocation: to convert the enemy into a guest and to create the free and fearless space where brotherhood and sisterhood can be formed and fully experienced.” I think that’s a helpful way of looking at the world. Because we are human, we will have conflicts. There will likely be people whose opposition might rise to the level of being an “enemy,” but we are reminded of Christ’s call to love our enemies and pray for those who wish us harm. As Fr. Nouwen reminds us, our conversion is never only to God, but also to one another–the grace and love of God should soften our hearts so much that even those we have conflict with become brother or sister.

Prayer
Dear Lord, remind us that no one is above reproach, and no one is beyond redemption. Help us to look into the eyes of people we find hard to like, and see your image. Assure us this day that your mercy triumphs over judgment. Amen.

Rev. Ryan Young