EDITORIAL
Forward Leading | Mark DeYmaz
I don’t need to tell you that Easter Sunday typically draws the largest crowd of the year. On that day, pastors and staff put their best foot forward, crafting an experience to represent themselves and their churches well, particularly to first-time visitors. The hope is that visitors and occasional attenders will feel a spirit of welcome, warmth and wonder that will compel them to return, join the church or more consistently attend in the future.
Easter Sunday is not a morning to take a risk by saying or doing something that might be misunderstood or misconstrued.
Yet at Mosaic, on Easter Sunday in 2019, our team did just that by inviting two longtime members of our church to close each service in prayer. As the final song ended and people were expecting to be dismissed, Joyce Elliott, an African American state senator—largely respected for 20 years as Arkansas’ leading voice among Democrats—approached the stage as did Ralph Hudson, a white Republican and former member of Arkansas’ House of Representatives.
Standing side-by-side, Joyce said, “Good morning, I’m Joyce Elliot, and I’m a Democrat,” while Ralph in turn said, “Hello, I’m Ralph Hudson, and I’m a Republican.”
As you might imagine, when Joyce and Ralph introduced themselves in this way people froze … they held their breaths … they wondered, On a day celebrating Christ’s resurrection and the hope of the gospel, what in the world is this about and why?
Anticipating such tension and in a spirit of unison, Joyce and Ralph next explained, “But don’t worry, we love Jesus, we love this church and we love each other.”
Through the collective decades that Joyce and Ralph have walked, worked and worshipped God together as one at Mosaic, they have modeled unity in Christ that transcends the expectations of this world. They’ve interacted with one another as people of peace. Having been saved by the same God, having been members of the same church, and being informed by the same Bible, they do not question or doubt one another’s motivations. While they certainly do not agree on methodology, each of them seeks to represent Jesus well in this community and throughout the state by improving the lives of Arkansans; and in fact, they do so. In the process, they also represent the culture, values and mission of our church well.
Despite political differences, Joyce and Ralph respect each other, they listen to each other and they understand each other. More than that, they share a love for Christ, for Mosaic, for one another and for others both similar and different from themselves. Indeed, Joyce and Ralph have helped Mosaic develop a healthy church culture through the years (though we are not at all a perfect church) by modeling a spirit of humility, unity and peace in Christ.
At Mosaic, we do not endorse people, parties or platforms. Instead, we pray God’s will and best be done for everyone willing to run for political office as well as for our city, state and nation, whatever an election’s outcome. How pastors determine to handle politics in their own churches will either help or hinder efforts at promoting unity, common vision and health.