Unexpected Jesus

Every Tuesday and Thursday night we have urban ministry classes (which actually could count for seminary credit if we wanted it!) and we began with talking about what exactly the Kingdom of God is. Phil Skei, the director of the Fresno Institute for Urban Leadership (FIFUL) and his wife Rici helped us to see that the Kingdom of God is not just something that we experience when we reach heaven, but is something that we are to be a part of bringing to earth as it is in heaven. We learned that the Kingdom of God coming to earth means that Jesus brings Shalom, which we often think of as just peace, but in reality is so much deeper than that. It is the way things ought to be in us, between us, and for us. The Kingdom of God's Shalom is desperately needed in impoverished and inner city communities. We were challenged by Rici to take our "5 loaves and 2 fish" of the things that we individually are talented or inclined towards, and use them among those in need.
The second class was on urban revitalization, which I actually wasn't too excited about, because it seemed so dry and academic, especially compared to talking about the Kingdom of God. Craig Scharton, the director of urban revitalization for the city of Fresno who isn't a Christian came to speak. He spoke of factors and situations (such as the building of a freeway through the Lowell neighborhood) that have contributed to the neighborhoods decline that no one would know with out digging deeper behind the face value of poverty and decay in inner city Fresno. He spoke of how much he loved seeing new life come to broken down neighborhoods, and how he gets to be a part of that process. As he was speaking, I was hit by the idea that he was explaining exactly what Jesus does with people. He sees behind their harsh exterior to places of deep need, and he brings new life. I couldn't help but think about how similar Craig and my jobs were- that I get to be on the front lines and sometimes be a part of the process of seeing new life come to people. I left that class much more encouraged than I expected to be coming in.