“One does not proclaim the Gospel standing still, locked in an office at one desk or computer, arguing like keyboard warriors, replacing the creativity of the proclamation with copy and paste ideas taken from here and there” ~ Pope Francis.

“It is clear to us that the first Christian community in Jerusalem was more than a historical happening. It was here that the Sermon on the Mount came to life.” ~ Eberhard Arnold

I have a mantra: Innovate-Educate-Collaborate. And it is in this mantra that I reflect on the statement of Pope Francis and Eberhard Arnold.

Innovation brings us technological advances. Today we are in the beginning stages of a new era of technology we are calling the Autonomous Revolution. Artificial intelligence technology will change lives and how we live here on the planet. The question becomes whether we will manage it for the greater good and the common good. 

We, as Christians in the modern world, are called to educate through education, whether in a classroom, a parish hall, a coffee shop, zoom, or a local pub. Often that education is by example. 

The key in both Pope Francis’s and Eberhard’s statements is collaboration. Think community; it is when we are in common with others that collaboration can and will occur.

The Sermon on the Mount was a blueprint for living in a community with our fellow human beings to bring about the kingdom of God here and now.

St. Paul would use the technology of his day, writing letters to communities, similar to our use of social media, texts, and emails. The difference is Paul also visited the communities; the communities would come together to read and discuss the letters. This was collaboration at work. 

As Christians who believe in the Sermon on the Mount and understand how to use it as a blueprint for living in the modern world, we need to realize that we are not the “wizzard behind the curtian,” Pope Francis is TOTO pulling the curtain away, and we discover we need to collaborate.

Pope Francis and Eberhard have a voice in helping us understand, innovate, educate, and collaborate. To realize the vital discussions we have with each other is what community is all about: community is an expression of love, joy, unity, suffering together, and the great “adventure of faith” shared with others along the way.