“Faithful presence names the reality that God is present in the world and that he uses a people faithful to his presence to make himself concrete and real amid the world’s struggles and pain. When the church is this faithful presence, God’s kingdom becomes visible, and the world is invited to join with God. Faithful presence is not only essential for our lives as Christians, it’s how God has chosen to change the world.” (David Fitch, Faithful Presence)
As I look around the neighbourhoods in Toronto, it is hard not to be drawn into the rush of the societal pace. In my community, we are accustomed to 10,000+ people living in close proximity and the sounds of construction all around. It is here that we have been learning to be the church. The prophet Elijah, as he met with God (1 Kings 19), did not find God in the violent wind, the earthquake, or the raging fire. Instead, it was in the stillness and the quiet that God’s presence was revealed to Elijah. More and more, I’m trying to learn how to be faithful, not in the loud noises, but in the quiet and mundane spaces.
I am often captivated by the word “Selah” in the scriptures. We don’t talk about it much, but it appears 71 times throughout the scriptures. Selah is word that is hard to define, but it indicates a pause, a time to take a breath. It is found in the Psalms, perhaps as an invitation to take a breath, pause, and reflect. I wonder if the practice of Selah can help us engage our neighbours as a faithful presence of Christ? I believe, if we practice Selah faithfully, we will receive a new imagination, and begin to see how God works in those silent and still spaces.
What if Selah is a posture into which God is inviting us? How might it shape the way we approach forming relationships in the neighbourhood?
I met Johnny in our neighbourhood when he first moved into the community. It happened during the heightened caution of the COVID lockdowns, when we were unable to really connect. But we had a series of simple, pleasant encounters with each other.
Once the lockdowns eased and the neighbourhood began returning to a degree of normalcy, we started bumping into each other more regularly. One day we met at the neighbourhood park when Johnny and I were both taking our kids to enjoy the outdoors. That day we began talking about our lives.
Another time we bumped into each other outside of the housing complex, and our chat about life deepened. He asked me about my studies and discovered that I had been pursuing a theological degree. This prompted him to share about his deep wrestling since becoming a father, wondering about life’s purpose, questions, and the Divine. That sacred moment of pause led to a friendship in life and faith. Since that first encounter we have met regularly, working through the scriptures and what it means to be a faithful follower of Jesus.
God speaks in the pauses. He invites us in the pauses. And the culmination of these little pauses leads to openness and deeper awareness of the Spirit’s presence.
As we think about being God’s faithful presence in our neighbourhood, let us recognize where we have margin and space for the Spirit to move. What if, instead of our rigid schedules, we created space to discern and tend to God’s presence around us? What if we intentionally placed ourselves in spaces where we could engage with holy disruptions in our daily lives? What if we kept learning to listen to the movement of the Spirit in our neighbourhoods?
I contend that the mission of the church does not rest with strategies, methods, and models. The world’s social imaginations have informed how we organize, structure, and form church and mission. What if we entered into God’s faithful presence through the mundane, small, and simple pauses, and allowed the reservoir of God’s grace to flood the neighbourhood through the movement of the Spirit in those moments?
Tara Beth Leach, in Radiant Church, writes, “I believe the church has something to offer that the world doesn’t have... Not because we as people are so great and such do-gooders—sadly, all too often we are far from that—but because Jesus’ kingdom is coming and is readily available to all who gather for the feast. When we gather in his name, strangers have something to celebrate, enemies are reconciled, and celebrations last into the night because God’s team wins. If we get this right, those watching from a distance will fear missing out; they will be drawn in, captivated, and attracted to the Kingdom readily available to all.” This captivating power of the church is the result of the faithful presence that disrupts our lives and our neighbourhoods. ©
Bernard Tam lives with his family in the heart of Midtown Toronto. Currently, he is a co-pastor at The Living Room Church seeking to be a community that lives to embody the faithful presence of Christ. At the same time, he is also part of the New Ventures team focusing on seeing new leaders and new churches in Toronto. Bernard is also a Doctoral student at Northern Seminary. He is also a major coffee geek; exploring and making new friends in all sorts of coffee shops.