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So What If Everyone Is Sacred?

"God created man and woman in his own image, in the image of God he created them. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:27, 31

Each person is sacred. For some, this may seem obvious, but the most obvious is often the most ignored. And if it is true, it changes everything, yet we live our lives unaware of how sacred we are.

Sacred is a big word. We are most comfortable with it when it sits on an altar or appears in visions with angels. In the scriptures burning bushes were sacred. As a child, I imagined a hedge bush roaring in flames because of its brush with God.

In discussions about what is sacred, some will agree that our religious symbols and ceremonies are sacred, but when the talk turns to people being sacred, the discomfort level rises. Can we say that Howie the lube guy at the corner gas station and Pat the bartender are sacred? And what about Crazy Uncle Eddie and Jake the numbers runner? Couldn't we get by with a simple, "We all have worth because God created us?"

No. I don't think so. I am holding out for every person being sacred. Sacred means that something or someone is considered especially dear to God and regarded with veneration or respect as in something that is holy. I want whatever is sacred to be covered with the fingerprints of God. But we don't have to look far to discover that most of us don't think of the rest of us as very sacred.

We are sacred, not because we imagine it to be true, but because we are created by God in the image of God. And each person is sacred because of God's love and grace.

So What Changes if We Are Each Sacred?

The God-given seed of grace is our sacredness. It is the kernel from which grace sprouts. When grace grows, it changes how we treat each other, and how we build our neighborhoods. If we are made in the image of God, and if the idea that every person is sacred is built in at the factory; it explains why we are drawn to each other and to community.

Several movements are reshaping the way we deliver social services, rebuild neighborhoods and deal with community conflict. Even though we may not recognize the connection, these movements exist because God creates us and we are sacred.

One of the movements, asset-based community development, is changing how neighborhood groups work and how major funders invest their money to help those in need. At its core this movement believes that people are not problems to be solved but are the best possible assets for solving problems. Instead of doing for people, you invest money in those willing to take control of their own lives and communities. Stronger communities are the basis for fewer problems and less suffering.

At Georgia Avenue Church, the members moved away from food give away programs to food cooperatives. Neighbors, with and without money, built cooperative organizations, chipped in money and donated time to get low-cost food, divided and bagged it and then distributed it to its members. This allowed people to learn leadership skills, build community trust and become more adept at caring for themselves.

Another movement is the democratic renewal movement. Robert Putnam of Harvard demonstrated that Americans turned their problems over to the government then chose not to vote, and sent their children to schools then chose not to join the PTA. But across the country people are now gathering around tables in their communities to take back the ownership of those communities.

In Decatur, Georgia, more than 450 citizens of every sort, gathered around thirty-five round tables to listen to each other, to decide what issues faced the community and to act together to build a healthy place to live. From their work came a new city staff position that ensured citizen's voices were heard; volunteers looked for ways to help senior citizens keep their homes in the face of rising taxes; and citizens worked to overcome racial divides.

The principles of grace and sacredness are being played out every day, even when we think the news is all bad. No matter what the issue, if we really believe people are sacred, everything changes.