The council and the group that meets for Wednesday evening prayer service have been reading Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life. It’s been a little slow going because the authors introduce new ways of thinking about on common concepts in Christianity like community, servanthood and, well, compassion. Displacement, however, is not exactly a common concept in Christianity. Yet, after some unpacking, it’s clear that it is a necessary concept of Christianity.
Displacement, understood as a “shift from the ordinary or proper place,” is indeed what happens to us when we become part of the body of Christ. Some might equate church with what is ordinary and proper. But the gospel does something different to us. When we recognize the invitation to displacement, we no longer have the need to cling to the expected, routine, often comfortable spaces. Displacement frees us from the illusion of normal. Displacement allows us to see our own brokenness. Displacement makes space for grace. Jesus Christ is God displaced in humanity. The Christian Life is life as the body of Christ!