FIRST READING— Philippians 3: 12-20a
I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it.
Stick with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for this same goal. There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. I've warned you of them many times; sadly, I'm having to do it again. All they want is easy street. They hate Christ's Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites. But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven!
SECOND READING—John 15: 9-17
"I've loved you the way my Holy Parent has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you'll remain intimately at home in my love. That's what I've done—kept my Father's commands and made myself at home in his love.
"I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Eternal Parent. “You didn't choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask God in relation to me, will be given to you.
"But remember the root command: Love one another.
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Let us pray—God of unchanging love and grace, we thank you for sending so many people into our lives to challenge us and to grow with us. May our thoughts and my words bring you honor and glory. Amen.
Well, folks, it’s been quite a couple of weeks. But, I am oh so glad to be back even if on a limited basis. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the calls, emails, cards, and food that you have sent my way. The pain is still there, but I told God that nothing was going to keep me away from you all for a second week and so, here I am refreshing my heart and soul by being in God’s presence here, in the presence of all my friends. It’s a fine place to be.
Let me remind you of what we are doing for the next few weeks. Many churches utilize teaching on the so-called spiritual gifts and, more than likely, we will too at some point in the future. In our study of diversesynergy, however, I wanted us to take a look at the different ways we ‘do’ faith or our faith ‘styles’, if you will. Now this is an MCC church, so I can assure you that we all have “STYLE”, but we don’t all have the same style; nor do we all ‘act upon’ or ‘act out’ our faith in the same ways. This is where Ronald C. Williams’ work comes in so handy. He describes four ‘faith styles’. Last week, Terri led us through the one that we can identify most easily—the action faith style—just look around, you can point to the ones of us who are the go-getters, the ones always present to lend a hand. And bless you all for it. There are three other faith styles that are similarly important. The ‘purpose’ or ‘goal’ oriented faith style which we will look at today and the growth-oriented and creativity-focused styles which will occupy our study next week. Finally, we will look at how these styles come together in this diversynergistic model and how to determine our personal faith styles . It’s like a pie—with all four quarters you have a whole pie of faith, with anything less than four, your pie has holes in it—no quarter slice is more important that the others—it takes all four.
By understanding in detail, these four styles, we will begin to understand who we are as we bring our gifts in faith to the community that God is building here in these walls and far beyond. Let me be a little clearer, none of us belongs completely in one quarter or another and to be too strict about the descriptions of each quarter negates the value we can learn about the diversynergy that grows among our joint and mutual efforts. So we must first understand the four descriptions, and then understand how our particular combination of faith styles influences our faith work, and, just as importantly, how it impacts our interactions with folks who have similar or distinctly different styles from ours. So on to the purpose oriented style.
It is a perfect Sunday for us to study the purpose or goal oriented style of faith. Rev. Troy Perry began the MCC church 43 years ago this month and this is the Sunday we have chosen to celebrate his gift of MCC to all of us and to the world. Had it not been for Rev. Troy’s unfailing dedication to expanding the teaching and preaching about the kingdom of God’s reign of justice to include all the marginalized peoples in the world, it is unlikely that UFMCC would be the presence that it currently is in the work of God’s kingdom. Rev. Troy, while certainly embodying more than one faith style, falls most clearly into the purpose-oriented style of doing faith work. He was unquestionably committed to creating a church where everyone knew themselves to be children of God. Ken Blanchard, in his book, Lead Like Jesus, says this about Jesus’ ability to keep the purpose of his disciples on track. “Jesus stayed personally focused on what He was sent to accomplish in His season of leadership…Jesus stayed on point. He did not seek to take on other tasks or the agenda others hoped He would fulfill. One of the greatest services a leader can provide to his or her followers is constancy of purpose. When the going gets rough or temptations and distractions come with short-term success or setbacks, people will look to the leaders to see how they will respond. Will they stay on course and remain true to their mission and values, or will they give up and give in to the pressures of the moment? Jesus took accountability for going beyond proclamation in equipping His followers with a full understanding of what they needed to know to carry out their mission.
Jesus says, "I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you.” This is Jesus’ purpose to bring the love of God to the world. Everything else is part and parcel of that—we have been chosen by Jesus to bear fruit in the world, and to act in the world in a way according to this purpose. Jesus ends our passage with, "But remember the root command: Love one another. “
How many times did it look like Rev. Troy might get de-railed in his purpose for a new kind of church? There was hatred, people were getting hurt, churches burned down; discrimination threatened to tear down the celebration of God’s love for all. Then there was the HIV/AIDS crisis which threatened, in a very real way, to kill the movement. It is evident to this day that MCC lost many leaders and members during that first wave of death and dying. Just as much as real, physical loss was the theological set-back—the questioning and confusion. But Troy Perry was a purpose-driven leader and he never lost sight of this new vision being given to him by the same One—Jesus—who gave the purpose to the newly formed band of disciples. Rev. Troy then focused his energy in bringing the love of God to everyone on marriage equality.
Paul shares his truth on living by purpose. In his own honest way, he tells us: “I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us.”
People whose faithwork is defined by purpose are known by the ability to transcend the familiar for the sake of fulfilling a higher or divine purpose. While trusting in God, one’s commitment to God makes it possible for the believer to venture far beyond daily, ‘comfortable’ routines to a mature leadership that serves as a catalyst for spiritual expression, learning and depth. And this is all for the following of God’s divine purpose for our lives. Both Jesus and Paul point to that with which we have been entrusted—loving God and loving each other. All other purpose and goals come from this, the supreme goal.
While action, our faithstyle from last week may be the easiest to identify, the purpose-filled faith work may be the easiest to evaluate. Is our purpose consistent with the over-riding purpose—that purpose Jesus and Paul relate to the in-bringing of the royal kingdom complete with love for each other and love for God. Committing to this larger picture, this in-breaking of God’s kingdom into our earthly home allow us, maybe even forces us, to keep our eyes constantly looking beyond the small set-backs, squabbles, illnesses, mis-understandings and confusion. Our purpose-oriented faithwork friends help keep the rest of us focused on the great good and call. Those who bring a purpose-oriented faithwork to practice at Open Circle will encourage the rest of us to constantly ask the question: “Is this plan, program, idea, or change consistent with the overall goal of spreading the love of God?” Just as our action-oriented faith workers or servants ask us: “What are we going go DO about it?”
And so we continue in our journey to the whole pie. Already half full with action and intent, we will soon add the two remaining styles of faithwork—commitment to growth, and creativity. And here we are on Fellowship Sunday where we celebrate the growth and productivity of the founding of an entire denomination. May we take with us today, inspiration and commitment from Rev. Troy Perry and to every person looking today for an MCC community, may we offer hope. Amen and amen.
Welcome!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
God's Co-Workers 10-16-11
FIRST READING—1 Corinthians 3: 6-11
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
SECOND READING—Luke 14: 25-31
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even life itself—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
God’s Co-Workers 10-16-11
Will you pray with me: God, we lift these words and thoughts to you. Fill them with your grace and Holy Spirit. Bless us as we listen for your word today. Amen
Let me start with a brief note of gratitude from Carol: Friends, I am so grateful for the many folks who stepped forward and made the worship service so beautiful today. I look forward to being back with you next week, but in the meantime, enjoy the rest of the service. I am especially thankful to Terri for reading the sermon for this week and for Paul’s worship leadership. I am grateful also for all your prayers while I have been battling shingles. I miss being there today. RC
I must admit that I am always amazed at the way God illuminates what we are studying with real life examples. And while I would not have chosen a bout with shingles to illustrate anything, I must admit that as I watched people step forward to make the service go on with short notice without me, I was amazed at how the very principle of diversynergy (DI-Vers-energy) came to life. Between now and the beginning of Advent, I will continue to talk about the differences among us that make for a full and complete experience of God’s Holy Spirit working in our midst—a study that I believe will enable us to embrace all that each and every one of us brings to the table. I am enjoying bringing the work of Ronald C. Williams, an African-American pastor and teacher, to bear on these sermons. In his book, Serving God with Style: Unleashing Servant Potential, he has developed a method that outlines for us some significant differences in the way we, as believers, exercise our faith. He uses four categories and expands from there: Action-, Growth-, Creative- and Purpose-oriented. The goal of his discussion and my adaptation of it here in Open Circle is not to label or pigeon hole each other. It is so that when we fail to agree on a certain dearly held approach to ministry, we may begin to understand how each of us works in different ways all to bring glory to God.—this divine multitude of people, skills, and approaches that results in Diversesynergy—a celebration of all God’s people reaching their fullest servant potential possible. All of the elements of orientation are necessary in any activity. We rarely see all four approaches in any one individual. That is why it is so important to involve people from all four orientations any time we seek God’s guidance in our service and ministry. The potential to be a servant of God is God’s ability to work through the very human activities of us humans as we seek to serve. More than likely, we never completely fulfill our potential during our earthly lifetime. According to Williams, “Potential is that which can be, but has not yet been attained. Divine power is the catalyst that moves every believer toward service consistent with God’s will and purpose.”
Today, we begin with perhaps the most easily identifiable style of faith—that is action-oriented servants. These are the folks who show up without fail, are extremely reliable. They show up all over the Old and New Testament and are found in every church, large and small. Quite frankly, churches are dependent on these go-getters—so much so that we often count on them too much, thereby failing to give others a chance to grow into their own brand of faith work. Paul puts all of our work, action-oriented or otherwise into perspective. What comes just before the passage in Corinthians is Paul’s irritable rebuke of the Corinthians’ arguing over who they ‘belong’ to. Some are arguing that they follow Paul, while others claim to follow Apollos. He has made his thoughts known, as well as his disappointment. He tells them that he cannot treat them like spiritually mature followers until they get that differences hold them together and not push them apart. Paul says: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. “
It can sometimes be a challenge for those of us who are action-oriented to make room for those with different perspectives. There is a “just do it” thought that sets in. So when others want to approach a task differently, those of us who are action-oriented in our faith work can appear to be leaving others in the dust. Once again, we stop ourselves and remind ourselves that we need the variety of gifts and approaches to do the work of the kingdom. Look at what Jesus said about an action-oriented approach and careful planning: “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?” This is action-oriented work at its finest—based in research (another way to take action) and followed up with a commitment to the action itself.
Our action oriented folks are also our accurate communicators. They spread the news about the tasks to be undertaken and the steps we will need to follow. The stories about Moses and his actions as a leader and communicator illustrate the value in this mode of faith work well. There is a particularly great story found in Exodus, chapters 35-39, about when the Israelites were instructed to build the tabernacle. Ronald Williams describes it like this: “Having received specific instructions from God, Moses disseminated detailed instructions to the Israelite community regarding the tabernacle. He discussed service hours, the building fund, interior decorating, task assignments, materials acquisition, uniforms, and much more. All aspects of the assignments were disseminated in detail. This effective communication was evident in the results. Even though scripture doesn’t indicate how often planning sessions or design meetings were held, we can speculate that a project requiring the involvement of over 600,000 people required meticulous coordination and dissemination of information. We can be sure that when it was all over, Moses was pleased because the work had been done exactly as the Lord commanded.” I think we can safely assume that there were others who looked at that task differently. But God knew just who was needed to pull off that amazing feat. And so, as we both learn about and explore other perspectives, we also begin to learn which style of faith brings the best leadership for various kinds of ministries.
In the next weeks, we will study the purpose-oriented, then the growth-oriented and, finally, the creative-oriented approach to faith work or servanthood. As we seek God’s will and way for our church, we will bring new thoughts and perspectives to our over-riding purpose—learning to celebrate who we are in all our amazing diversynergy and love for each other and God. To God be the glory! Amen and Amen.
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
SECOND READING—Luke 14: 25-31
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even life itself—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
God’s Co-Workers 10-16-11
Will you pray with me: God, we lift these words and thoughts to you. Fill them with your grace and Holy Spirit. Bless us as we listen for your word today. Amen
Let me start with a brief note of gratitude from Carol: Friends, I am so grateful for the many folks who stepped forward and made the worship service so beautiful today. I look forward to being back with you next week, but in the meantime, enjoy the rest of the service. I am especially thankful to Terri for reading the sermon for this week and for Paul’s worship leadership. I am grateful also for all your prayers while I have been battling shingles. I miss being there today. RC
I must admit that I am always amazed at the way God illuminates what we are studying with real life examples. And while I would not have chosen a bout with shingles to illustrate anything, I must admit that as I watched people step forward to make the service go on with short notice without me, I was amazed at how the very principle of diversynergy (DI-Vers-energy) came to life. Between now and the beginning of Advent, I will continue to talk about the differences among us that make for a full and complete experience of God’s Holy Spirit working in our midst—a study that I believe will enable us to embrace all that each and every one of us brings to the table. I am enjoying bringing the work of Ronald C. Williams, an African-American pastor and teacher, to bear on these sermons. In his book, Serving God with Style: Unleashing Servant Potential, he has developed a method that outlines for us some significant differences in the way we, as believers, exercise our faith. He uses four categories and expands from there: Action-, Growth-, Creative- and Purpose-oriented. The goal of his discussion and my adaptation of it here in Open Circle is not to label or pigeon hole each other. It is so that when we fail to agree on a certain dearly held approach to ministry, we may begin to understand how each of us works in different ways all to bring glory to God.—this divine multitude of people, skills, and approaches that results in Diversesynergy—a celebration of all God’s people reaching their fullest servant potential possible. All of the elements of orientation are necessary in any activity. We rarely see all four approaches in any one individual. That is why it is so important to involve people from all four orientations any time we seek God’s guidance in our service and ministry. The potential to be a servant of God is God’s ability to work through the very human activities of us humans as we seek to serve. More than likely, we never completely fulfill our potential during our earthly lifetime. According to Williams, “Potential is that which can be, but has not yet been attained. Divine power is the catalyst that moves every believer toward service consistent with God’s will and purpose.”
Today, we begin with perhaps the most easily identifiable style of faith—that is action-oriented servants. These are the folks who show up without fail, are extremely reliable. They show up all over the Old and New Testament and are found in every church, large and small. Quite frankly, churches are dependent on these go-getters—so much so that we often count on them too much, thereby failing to give others a chance to grow into their own brand of faith work. Paul puts all of our work, action-oriented or otherwise into perspective. What comes just before the passage in Corinthians is Paul’s irritable rebuke of the Corinthians’ arguing over who they ‘belong’ to. Some are arguing that they follow Paul, while others claim to follow Apollos. He has made his thoughts known, as well as his disappointment. He tells them that he cannot treat them like spiritually mature followers until they get that differences hold them together and not push them apart. Paul says: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. “
It can sometimes be a challenge for those of us who are action-oriented to make room for those with different perspectives. There is a “just do it” thought that sets in. So when others want to approach a task differently, those of us who are action-oriented in our faith work can appear to be leaving others in the dust. Once again, we stop ourselves and remind ourselves that we need the variety of gifts and approaches to do the work of the kingdom. Look at what Jesus said about an action-oriented approach and careful planning: “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?” This is action-oriented work at its finest—based in research (another way to take action) and followed up with a commitment to the action itself.
Our action oriented folks are also our accurate communicators. They spread the news about the tasks to be undertaken and the steps we will need to follow. The stories about Moses and his actions as a leader and communicator illustrate the value in this mode of faith work well. There is a particularly great story found in Exodus, chapters 35-39, about when the Israelites were instructed to build the tabernacle. Ronald Williams describes it like this: “Having received specific instructions from God, Moses disseminated detailed instructions to the Israelite community regarding the tabernacle. He discussed service hours, the building fund, interior decorating, task assignments, materials acquisition, uniforms, and much more. All aspects of the assignments were disseminated in detail. This effective communication was evident in the results. Even though scripture doesn’t indicate how often planning sessions or design meetings were held, we can speculate that a project requiring the involvement of over 600,000 people required meticulous coordination and dissemination of information. We can be sure that when it was all over, Moses was pleased because the work had been done exactly as the Lord commanded.” I think we can safely assume that there were others who looked at that task differently. But God knew just who was needed to pull off that amazing feat. And so, as we both learn about and explore other perspectives, we also begin to learn which style of faith brings the best leadership for various kinds of ministries.
In the next weeks, we will study the purpose-oriented, then the growth-oriented and, finally, the creative-oriented approach to faith work or servanthood. As we seek God’s will and way for our church, we will bring new thoughts and perspectives to our over-riding purpose—learning to celebrate who we are in all our amazing diversynergy and love for each other and God. To God be the glory! Amen and Amen.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Wide-Eyes in Wonder and Belief 10-9-11
Philippians 4: 4-9
Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in your Creator! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into the most excellent harmonies.
SECOND READING—Luke 11: 33-36
No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It's put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they're going. Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don't get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Great and wonderful God, You call us to walk in faith. We respond in love and praise. Give to our words action and to our desires commitment. May the words spoken here and the thoughts and prayers of all our hearts bring honor to You. Amen
Florida is the land of boating. Many of us have been out on boats—large and small—and the occasional cruise ship. The land of lakes and oceans calls us out onto the water—ah, doesn’t that sound delightful. How many of you, though, have ever been caught in rough waters or a sudden storm that more than likely resulted in you promising God anything and everything if only you lived to place your feet on dry ground again. There is a great story of a group of people who were caught out in the ocean in a sudden and violent storm. Everyone, well, almost everyone, was panic-stricken. One little boy calmly stood on the deck and his calm demeanor drew everyone’s attention. “Aren’t you afraid?” asked the adults. “No” was his response. “Well, why not?” they shouted back at him over the winds. The little boy looked at them calmly and said, “My father is the captain of this ship, and he is behind the wheel.” Everyone else was looking at the winds and the waves, but this little boy trusted his father, the captain of the ship.
Now, here’s the interesting part of that story: this little boy didn’t trust just anybody, he trusted somebody he knew—someone he knew well enough to know that he was, first of all, competent and capable and, secondly, that he cared enough about him to do everything possible to keep him safe. He trusted someone he had grown up with, spent time with, someone he loved. We cannot expect our faith to grow to the point that it will sustain us through the storms of life or the storms of ministry if we do not spend time with God who is the source of that faith. Faith is a gift, freely given; but it is not a magical potion. It is a practice that grows as we grow spiritually. Is this not what Paul is calling us to in his words to the Philippians. “Celebrate God all the time—cherish time with God as special and precious. Turn your worries into prayers by remembering to ask God for what you need. Don’t forget to send your praises to God as well. Without even understanding how, you will get a sense of peace and God’s wholeness.” Knowing that this gentle piece of advice might not be all that we need, he gives us some specific, how-to directions: “Fill your minds with thoughts worth meditating upon—things that are true, noble, reputable, authentic, real—things that call to you—things that are full of grace. Focus on the good, not the bad. Find things to think about that bring about praising, not cursing.” Paul, imprisoned at the time, calls them to “put into practice what they have learned from” him. He calls them to follow the spiritual practices of prayer and thanksgiving that they had observed in Paul in their own faith walk. Doing this, says Paul, makes it possible for God, who makes everything work together, to mold us into a harmonious oneness.
There are three specific things we can take from this admonition from Paul. First, that which we think most about determines how we see life—the lens through which we interpret everything that happens to and around us. You’ve all known people who were just plain miserable and determined to be so—sometimes proud to be so. More than simple miserableness, he reminds us that those things we spend the most time on color everything about our lives. You can tell when you are in the presence of a person who spends time thinking on the many blessings in their lives—the sense of authentic gratitude cannot be missed. Faith grows from that same behavior—from filling our thoughts with things that build us up rather than those which drag us down. Secondly, where I place my focus determines the quality of peace that I experience. The more I focus on how bad things are or, worse yet, how bad they could get, the less room I have for God’s peace. It’s not possible for those thoughts to occupy the same space successfully. Finally, the nature of my thoughts determines who I am as a person—as a friend, as a minister, as a child of God. My thoughts literally determine whether or not God can use me in this great work. We cannot miss the significance of this—allowing God to use us means that we necessarily focus on the things of God, the grace, the freedom and the love of God lavished upon us as royal children.
As we work together over the next few weeks, and begin to think about how each and every one of us fits into God’s plan for the ministries of Open Circle, we must start with the foundation of ministry—faith in the one who calls and sends, faith in God—but not just any faith—faith that comes from knowing who God is, spending time with Christ, inviting the regeneration of the Holy Spirit into our hearts and minds—faith that comes from living in the light—‘wide-eyed in wonder and belief’. Jesus calls us to live that way—telling us that when we live with our eyes wide open, our bodies fill up with light. Just as Paul encourages us to think and ponder on only those things which are good, Jesus calls us to fill ourselves with light. Failing to do so, getting mired down in the murky depths of hopelessness and despair, extinguishes our light—the very light we are called to keep burning for all time. So we move on to what it takes to keep the light burning.
How did the ship captain’s son come to know him as the trustworthy source of safety—by spending time with his father, studying who he was and how he captained the ship. Is this not how we , too learn about our shepherd, our creator, our source of hope and faith. I ask us to return to the contemporary version of Psalm 23 that we read aloud together as our call to worship. At the time that I wrote it, I wanted to simplify the 23rd Psalm, to help it make sense to folks who were just starting their walk with Jesus. Later, I realized that learning to let God, through Jesus, meet our needs is something we never outgrow—it is a continuous process. Allow me to comment on my own version of the 23rd Psalm.
“Jesus, the great shepherd is my shepherd; I will never want for anything.” All summer, in our summer of exceeding abundance, we looked at different aspects of God’s will for us to live life more abundantly than we could ask or imagine. Perhaps, given the way we now use the word ‘want’, I should have said, “I will never ‘need’ for anything.” Faith calls us to get our ‘wants’ in line with our ‘needs’—and when we do, we can be assured that our every need will be provided in God’s time and way. “When I am tired, He gives me lovely green pastures in which to lie”. Being tired is a fact of life and a fact of ministry—it is what we do when we are tired that sustains our faith. It is when we allow God to minister to us in the ‘lovely green pastures’ of our souls that faith holds us up and brings us back to life. “And then, when I am refreshed, He bathes my soul in the peaceful still waters of His presence.” First, by turning to God, I am rested and then my soul is restored to health and peace by spending time in solitude with God—allowing my spirit to commune with the presence of the Holy Spirit. “He heals my soul when I am hurting and He leads me down the right paths when I am confused.” It took me a long time to grasp the facts in these lines. Seems simple now, not so much then. I will hurt and I will get confused. God doesn’t promise me otherwise. But at those times, my soul is healed and my feet are set on the right path, when I ask. “Even at the darkest times of my life, I do not fear the worst, for Jesus is with me; comforting and protecting me with His rod and His staff.” Like a shepherd beating off the enemies of the lambs, Jesus comforts and protects. “When things seem hopeless, and I am hurt by people all around, Jesus prepares a special table for me and anoints my head for healing.” When we do not know where to turn, Jesus promises us that if we turn to the one we know from our communion in Him, in the process of developing an abiding trust, we will be treated as precious children of God. “It is then that I am overwhelmed with the love of my Shepherd.” Our joy is complete, the one with whom we have grown this relationship of faith and trust, fills us to overflowing with love. “My life will be continually blessed with goodness and mercy and I will live in the presence of God forever. Amen and amen.
Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in your Creator! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into the most excellent harmonies.
SECOND READING—Luke 11: 33-36
No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It's put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they're going. Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don't get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Great and wonderful God, You call us to walk in faith. We respond in love and praise. Give to our words action and to our desires commitment. May the words spoken here and the thoughts and prayers of all our hearts bring honor to You. Amen
Florida is the land of boating. Many of us have been out on boats—large and small—and the occasional cruise ship. The land of lakes and oceans calls us out onto the water—ah, doesn’t that sound delightful. How many of you, though, have ever been caught in rough waters or a sudden storm that more than likely resulted in you promising God anything and everything if only you lived to place your feet on dry ground again. There is a great story of a group of people who were caught out in the ocean in a sudden and violent storm. Everyone, well, almost everyone, was panic-stricken. One little boy calmly stood on the deck and his calm demeanor drew everyone’s attention. “Aren’t you afraid?” asked the adults. “No” was his response. “Well, why not?” they shouted back at him over the winds. The little boy looked at them calmly and said, “My father is the captain of this ship, and he is behind the wheel.” Everyone else was looking at the winds and the waves, but this little boy trusted his father, the captain of the ship.
Now, here’s the interesting part of that story: this little boy didn’t trust just anybody, he trusted somebody he knew—someone he knew well enough to know that he was, first of all, competent and capable and, secondly, that he cared enough about him to do everything possible to keep him safe. He trusted someone he had grown up with, spent time with, someone he loved. We cannot expect our faith to grow to the point that it will sustain us through the storms of life or the storms of ministry if we do not spend time with God who is the source of that faith. Faith is a gift, freely given; but it is not a magical potion. It is a practice that grows as we grow spiritually. Is this not what Paul is calling us to in his words to the Philippians. “Celebrate God all the time—cherish time with God as special and precious. Turn your worries into prayers by remembering to ask God for what you need. Don’t forget to send your praises to God as well. Without even understanding how, you will get a sense of peace and God’s wholeness.” Knowing that this gentle piece of advice might not be all that we need, he gives us some specific, how-to directions: “Fill your minds with thoughts worth meditating upon—things that are true, noble, reputable, authentic, real—things that call to you—things that are full of grace. Focus on the good, not the bad. Find things to think about that bring about praising, not cursing.” Paul, imprisoned at the time, calls them to “put into practice what they have learned from” him. He calls them to follow the spiritual practices of prayer and thanksgiving that they had observed in Paul in their own faith walk. Doing this, says Paul, makes it possible for God, who makes everything work together, to mold us into a harmonious oneness.
There are three specific things we can take from this admonition from Paul. First, that which we think most about determines how we see life—the lens through which we interpret everything that happens to and around us. You’ve all known people who were just plain miserable and determined to be so—sometimes proud to be so. More than simple miserableness, he reminds us that those things we spend the most time on color everything about our lives. You can tell when you are in the presence of a person who spends time thinking on the many blessings in their lives—the sense of authentic gratitude cannot be missed. Faith grows from that same behavior—from filling our thoughts with things that build us up rather than those which drag us down. Secondly, where I place my focus determines the quality of peace that I experience. The more I focus on how bad things are or, worse yet, how bad they could get, the less room I have for God’s peace. It’s not possible for those thoughts to occupy the same space successfully. Finally, the nature of my thoughts determines who I am as a person—as a friend, as a minister, as a child of God. My thoughts literally determine whether or not God can use me in this great work. We cannot miss the significance of this—allowing God to use us means that we necessarily focus on the things of God, the grace, the freedom and the love of God lavished upon us as royal children.
As we work together over the next few weeks, and begin to think about how each and every one of us fits into God’s plan for the ministries of Open Circle, we must start with the foundation of ministry—faith in the one who calls and sends, faith in God—but not just any faith—faith that comes from knowing who God is, spending time with Christ, inviting the regeneration of the Holy Spirit into our hearts and minds—faith that comes from living in the light—‘wide-eyed in wonder and belief’. Jesus calls us to live that way—telling us that when we live with our eyes wide open, our bodies fill up with light. Just as Paul encourages us to think and ponder on only those things which are good, Jesus calls us to fill ourselves with light. Failing to do so, getting mired down in the murky depths of hopelessness and despair, extinguishes our light—the very light we are called to keep burning for all time. So we move on to what it takes to keep the light burning.
How did the ship captain’s son come to know him as the trustworthy source of safety—by spending time with his father, studying who he was and how he captained the ship. Is this not how we , too learn about our shepherd, our creator, our source of hope and faith. I ask us to return to the contemporary version of Psalm 23 that we read aloud together as our call to worship. At the time that I wrote it, I wanted to simplify the 23rd Psalm, to help it make sense to folks who were just starting their walk with Jesus. Later, I realized that learning to let God, through Jesus, meet our needs is something we never outgrow—it is a continuous process. Allow me to comment on my own version of the 23rd Psalm.
“Jesus, the great shepherd is my shepherd; I will never want for anything.” All summer, in our summer of exceeding abundance, we looked at different aspects of God’s will for us to live life more abundantly than we could ask or imagine. Perhaps, given the way we now use the word ‘want’, I should have said, “I will never ‘need’ for anything.” Faith calls us to get our ‘wants’ in line with our ‘needs’—and when we do, we can be assured that our every need will be provided in God’s time and way. “When I am tired, He gives me lovely green pastures in which to lie”. Being tired is a fact of life and a fact of ministry—it is what we do when we are tired that sustains our faith. It is when we allow God to minister to us in the ‘lovely green pastures’ of our souls that faith holds us up and brings us back to life. “And then, when I am refreshed, He bathes my soul in the peaceful still waters of His presence.” First, by turning to God, I am rested and then my soul is restored to health and peace by spending time in solitude with God—allowing my spirit to commune with the presence of the Holy Spirit. “He heals my soul when I am hurting and He leads me down the right paths when I am confused.” It took me a long time to grasp the facts in these lines. Seems simple now, not so much then. I will hurt and I will get confused. God doesn’t promise me otherwise. But at those times, my soul is healed and my feet are set on the right path, when I ask. “Even at the darkest times of my life, I do not fear the worst, for Jesus is with me; comforting and protecting me with His rod and His staff.” Like a shepherd beating off the enemies of the lambs, Jesus comforts and protects. “When things seem hopeless, and I am hurt by people all around, Jesus prepares a special table for me and anoints my head for healing.” When we do not know where to turn, Jesus promises us that if we turn to the one we know from our communion in Him, in the process of developing an abiding trust, we will be treated as precious children of God. “It is then that I am overwhelmed with the love of my Shepherd.” Our joy is complete, the one with whom we have grown this relationship of faith and trust, fills us to overflowing with love. “My life will be continually blessed with goodness and mercy and I will live in the presence of God forever. Amen and amen.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Glad to Be of Service 10-2-11
FIRST READING—I Peter 4: 8-11 (NIV)
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
SECOND READING—Matthew 22: 34-40
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Holy and Faithful God, we come to you today and ask for your grace…your grace so that we can hear and believe and act. May the words spoken today and the thoughts and prayers of all your people be an expression of our love and devotion to you. Amen
How many of you, when a vacation is in danger of being rained out turn to the old faithful pastime—the jigsaw puzzle? Me too, and because I love a good mystery, I enjoy a good puzzle. But how many of you have gotten almost to the end of that 500 or 1000 piece puzzle only to find what? That’s right—a piece is missing—doesn’t that make you want to scream. What we tend to do instead is to shake the obviously empty box a ge-jillion times as if the piece is suddenly going to appear and drop miraculously from the box. We may crawl around on the floor, look behind the cushions, force everybody to empty their pockets in case a jokester has gotten into the room. And sometimes it shows up, but often it doesn’t and we are really frustrated and maybe even angry. Altogether a significantly dissatisfying experience.
I wonder if some or even many of you are in that same place as you think about growing your faith life or becoming more active in this church. Is there a piece or two missing that hinders you from seeing what the whole picture might look like? I want us to think with excitement and expectation over the weeks between now and Thanksgiving about the path of spiritual growth, the developing and celebration of faith, and the discernment of God’s will for each and every one of us. For you are all here for a reason and it will be a wonderful experience together to find the missing piece of the puzzle.
I hope that all of you noticed the word “diversynergy” that appeared in the newsletter and again on the front of the bulletin. And, no, you won’t find it in any dictionary, made it up all by myself, I did; but it brings together two elements of our communal faith practice that will guide us not only in the weeks to come but in the foreseeable future. Let’s take it apart.
“Diverse”—we often talk about how different each one of us is and how we experience our spiritual life and gifts in very different ways. But what does that truly mean? It means that God gives to each of us a wonderful variety of gifts, interests, and life circumstances. And though God doesn’t make all of us the same (trust me, being tall has to be a good thing in the average kitchen), God loves us all the same. We are not the same creatures, but we are all equally created by God in the image and likeness of God. Loved equally, created with joyous differences and uniqueness.
“Synergy”—those of you who know group dynamics or systems theory know that synergy is the principle that says, in my grandmother’s words, “two or three or four or five heads are better than one.” Well, that is how I understand it—that we, all of us, created and drawn together by God can do far more when all of our energies and gifts come together into one explosion of faith, than the sum of what we could all do as individuals if it were somehow added up at the end. In a way—1 + 4 can equal 10 when our individual faith and unique gifts are multiplied exponentially in our shared journeys—thus, diversynergy.
We seek the guidance of our scripture passages as we begin this journey together. Looking to the teaching of Jesus, it is clear that the foundation of all our faith work and growth is present in Jesus’ response to the Pharisees. When asked for the greatest commandment of all the law, Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Everything is about these two commandments.”
That’s it—love God with your whole self—everything about you—your gifts, your skills, and even your faults; and, love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. Nothing complicated here. Well…fortunately, Peter comes to the rescue. He tells us quite clearly what this love looks like in a Christian community—a Christian community very much like this one: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.” Peter definitely helps us put Jesus’ commandment into concrete reality and shows us quite clearly who is to receive the glory when it all comes together—God through Jesus Christ.
The phrase “love each other deeply” brings us to another level of caring for each other. This is the kind of love that enables us to look beyond our own self interest and care more about meeting the needs of others than our need to be right or first or important. This is the kind of love that puts us in our place, knowing when love abounds, it is God’s grace working through us. This is the kind of love that enables us to speak the very words of God—think for just a moment what that means—when we are in the place where we love each other deeply, where we offer gifts to each other in true servanthood with no thought for repayment or recognition—this is the very love and word of God. We use whatever gift we have received to serve others—to bring God’s grace to each and everyone with whom we interact.
Seems like a tall order until you place it in the context of ‘diversynergy’. In this context we are not alone, we are doing this together. And because we are doing it together, our efforts are multiplied by God’s gracious infusion of the Holy Spirit in all our work and practice. In this context we encourage each one to find their own path. We do not demand that they walk ours. This is true servanthood—loving those we serve as much as we do ourselves—enough that their needs are put first since we are faithful stewards of God’s grace in all its various forms. And in this way, we welcome and celebrate those who are very different from us indeed—those whose faith walk looks nothing like ours and those just finding their way. We come to know that we can learn from each other—that we can trust, and try, and flounder, and grow. And we do it in our own unique ways—finding our own path towards the God who loves us and gives us the gifts with which we are to love each other. There is an old Nicaraguan proverb: “You make the road by walking on it.” And we are doing this as people of God and as The People of God. We search within the safe haven of this deep love that grows for each and every one as it grows for ourselves. Joan Chittister says: “The grail we seek is God alone. We must seek God in the right places: within the sanctuary of the centered self.” And we find this centered self in the midst of other centered selves—selves centered on doing the will and work of God.
So why does this take us so long? For one thing, Growth that comes patiently over time is the growth we seek—the spiritual growth centered in this deep love for each other and this total and all-encompassing love we have for God, our parent, our creator, our source. And yet, in some miraculous way, we are not all the same and so we seek ways to live in this wonderful, scary place where we must learn two things: to accept God’s great love and grace to us, allowing us to love ourselves however we are made and wherever we have been on prior paths. Just the same, we learn to love those who walk as unique individuals along side of us, who grace us by allowing us to serve and be served and who call us to be more than we ever thought we could be just as we call to them for the same.
God calls us to break down the barriers inside this circle we lovingly call open. God calls us to open it and open ourselves wider and wider—to allow more of God’s acceptance and gracious love into our hearts and minds and souls, and to love each other—all the each others in a way that moves beyond the tolerance of difference to the celebration of all that those differences mean for us—for learning, for growth, for spiritual new life. As we spend the next weeks studying together about the people God is calling us to be may we prayerfully search our own hearts, find the missing piece and walk this pathway with all the other searching and growing children of God. Let us be the people God calls us to be. Amen and amen.
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
SECOND READING—Matthew 22: 34-40
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Holy and Faithful God, we come to you today and ask for your grace…your grace so that we can hear and believe and act. May the words spoken today and the thoughts and prayers of all your people be an expression of our love and devotion to you. Amen
How many of you, when a vacation is in danger of being rained out turn to the old faithful pastime—the jigsaw puzzle? Me too, and because I love a good mystery, I enjoy a good puzzle. But how many of you have gotten almost to the end of that 500 or 1000 piece puzzle only to find what? That’s right—a piece is missing—doesn’t that make you want to scream. What we tend to do instead is to shake the obviously empty box a ge-jillion times as if the piece is suddenly going to appear and drop miraculously from the box. We may crawl around on the floor, look behind the cushions, force everybody to empty their pockets in case a jokester has gotten into the room. And sometimes it shows up, but often it doesn’t and we are really frustrated and maybe even angry. Altogether a significantly dissatisfying experience.
I wonder if some or even many of you are in that same place as you think about growing your faith life or becoming more active in this church. Is there a piece or two missing that hinders you from seeing what the whole picture might look like? I want us to think with excitement and expectation over the weeks between now and Thanksgiving about the path of spiritual growth, the developing and celebration of faith, and the discernment of God’s will for each and every one of us. For you are all here for a reason and it will be a wonderful experience together to find the missing piece of the puzzle.
I hope that all of you noticed the word “diversynergy” that appeared in the newsletter and again on the front of the bulletin. And, no, you won’t find it in any dictionary, made it up all by myself, I did; but it brings together two elements of our communal faith practice that will guide us not only in the weeks to come but in the foreseeable future. Let’s take it apart.
“Diverse”—we often talk about how different each one of us is and how we experience our spiritual life and gifts in very different ways. But what does that truly mean? It means that God gives to each of us a wonderful variety of gifts, interests, and life circumstances. And though God doesn’t make all of us the same (trust me, being tall has to be a good thing in the average kitchen), God loves us all the same. We are not the same creatures, but we are all equally created by God in the image and likeness of God. Loved equally, created with joyous differences and uniqueness.
“Synergy”—those of you who know group dynamics or systems theory know that synergy is the principle that says, in my grandmother’s words, “two or three or four or five heads are better than one.” Well, that is how I understand it—that we, all of us, created and drawn together by God can do far more when all of our energies and gifts come together into one explosion of faith, than the sum of what we could all do as individuals if it were somehow added up at the end. In a way—1 + 4 can equal 10 when our individual faith and unique gifts are multiplied exponentially in our shared journeys—thus, diversynergy.
We seek the guidance of our scripture passages as we begin this journey together. Looking to the teaching of Jesus, it is clear that the foundation of all our faith work and growth is present in Jesus’ response to the Pharisees. When asked for the greatest commandment of all the law, Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Everything is about these two commandments.”
That’s it—love God with your whole self—everything about you—your gifts, your skills, and even your faults; and, love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. Nothing complicated here. Well…fortunately, Peter comes to the rescue. He tells us quite clearly what this love looks like in a Christian community—a Christian community very much like this one: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.” Peter definitely helps us put Jesus’ commandment into concrete reality and shows us quite clearly who is to receive the glory when it all comes together—God through Jesus Christ.
The phrase “love each other deeply” brings us to another level of caring for each other. This is the kind of love that enables us to look beyond our own self interest and care more about meeting the needs of others than our need to be right or first or important. This is the kind of love that puts us in our place, knowing when love abounds, it is God’s grace working through us. This is the kind of love that enables us to speak the very words of God—think for just a moment what that means—when we are in the place where we love each other deeply, where we offer gifts to each other in true servanthood with no thought for repayment or recognition—this is the very love and word of God. We use whatever gift we have received to serve others—to bring God’s grace to each and everyone with whom we interact.
Seems like a tall order until you place it in the context of ‘diversynergy’. In this context we are not alone, we are doing this together. And because we are doing it together, our efforts are multiplied by God’s gracious infusion of the Holy Spirit in all our work and practice. In this context we encourage each one to find their own path. We do not demand that they walk ours. This is true servanthood—loving those we serve as much as we do ourselves—enough that their needs are put first since we are faithful stewards of God’s grace in all its various forms. And in this way, we welcome and celebrate those who are very different from us indeed—those whose faith walk looks nothing like ours and those just finding their way. We come to know that we can learn from each other—that we can trust, and try, and flounder, and grow. And we do it in our own unique ways—finding our own path towards the God who loves us and gives us the gifts with which we are to love each other. There is an old Nicaraguan proverb: “You make the road by walking on it.” And we are doing this as people of God and as The People of God. We search within the safe haven of this deep love that grows for each and every one as it grows for ourselves. Joan Chittister says: “The grail we seek is God alone. We must seek God in the right places: within the sanctuary of the centered self.” And we find this centered self in the midst of other centered selves—selves centered on doing the will and work of God.
So why does this take us so long? For one thing, Growth that comes patiently over time is the growth we seek—the spiritual growth centered in this deep love for each other and this total and all-encompassing love we have for God, our parent, our creator, our source. And yet, in some miraculous way, we are not all the same and so we seek ways to live in this wonderful, scary place where we must learn two things: to accept God’s great love and grace to us, allowing us to love ourselves however we are made and wherever we have been on prior paths. Just the same, we learn to love those who walk as unique individuals along side of us, who grace us by allowing us to serve and be served and who call us to be more than we ever thought we could be just as we call to them for the same.
God calls us to break down the barriers inside this circle we lovingly call open. God calls us to open it and open ourselves wider and wider—to allow more of God’s acceptance and gracious love into our hearts and minds and souls, and to love each other—all the each others in a way that moves beyond the tolerance of difference to the celebration of all that those differences mean for us—for learning, for growth, for spiritual new life. As we spend the next weeks studying together about the people God is calling us to be may we prayerfully search our own hearts, find the missing piece and walk this pathway with all the other searching and growing children of God. Let us be the people God calls us to be. Amen and amen.
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