This past weekend, I went to the Saturday night closing session of the TogetherLA Conference held in the heart of Los Angeles at the West Temple Cathedral, and listened to Tim Keller talk about our culture and identity. Many Christian leaders from a diverse set of backgrounds came together to talk about the many issues that are facing Los Angeles, and how to reach this city with the love of Jesus. I appreciated this conference in so many ways because of the mission to come together in unity for reaching and impacting our city.
Since the church I grew up in is located in Echo Park or Historic Filipinotown, I’ve spent a lot of time in the heart of the city and it felt good coming back to the city, very much like I was coming home. Driving down the freeway to the conference, it was a beautiful scene as the sun was setting, and shining through the clouds that had parted, and shined upon the city skyline. I remember thinking, “Wow! Such a beautiful image to be taking in with me to this conference! I love LA!”
While Biola is still considered to be located in LA county, the 25 miles distance from LA proper seems to expand even more when traffic elongates the journey to and from the center of the city to the suburb of La Mirada to an hour or longer. I love the community at Biola, but sometimes I do feel the unsettledness of being in the “Biola bubble” and wanting to be more a part of what is happening in the heart of Los Angeles. I was so happy to hear that Biola was one of the title sponsors of the conference, along with Fuller, Logos, and Faithlife. Dr. Barry Corey was one of the speakers and it is encouraging seeing the ways Biola is looking to partner with other organizations to reach Los Angeles. Going to this conference and hearing about the many things God is doing in Los Angeles through the different churches and organizations in the various regions of Los Angeles is exciting to see. It helps me remember that I am part of something bigger, and that God is doing His work through his people in such awesome and amazing ways. It excites me to see a diverse people come together to worship together and learn more ways on how to partner together to reach Los Angeles, which is one of the largest cities in the world. I appreciate the ways the leaders of the conference intentionally wanted to listen and address the different issues facing various minority groups in the city, such as immigration in the Latino community, fatherlessness in the Black community, and generational differences in the Asian American community. We need to listen to each other to help understand what issues need to be addressed and see how the church can be an incarnational reflection of Jesus to the broken and to the hurting.
I was encouraged by Tim Keller’s critique on the Western individualistic notion of freedom – epitomized by Hollywood and LA – how the idea that we get our identity and freedom from pursuing our desires, dreams, and achieving our goals can actually be crushing as we equate our identity with our achievements and desires. This idea of freedom in pursuing our desires is also unworkable since often times we have clashing and competing desires. When we equate our identity with these things, when we don’t achieve our dreams, it can leave devastating effects. Ultimately, our identity is received as Christ is the One who gives us our identity as his sacrifice allows us to be children of God. Our identity is received and not achieved. I can so resonate with this truth and I’ve seen how this culture has impacted my own view of my identity, and how easy it is to get wrapped up in equating my identity with my academic achievements or career. I find myself starting to compare myself with other people which either leads to insecurity or pride. It was so helpful to be reminded of my true core identity – solely found in Christ – which is something I know, but is always so easy to forget. It is only through the outflow of understanding my identity in Christ, will I be able to use my gifts and abilities to His glory, instead of my own. Understanding our identity in Christ in our own hearts and as a community is the key in building bridges in unity and loving Los Angeles as we incarnate Christ’s love to our city. I left the conference feeling refreshed and having a renewed vision in seeing who we are as a people of God in the City of Angels.
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