I've been thinking lately about ministry and using our gifts in the church. Recently I was looking for someone to teach the children's lesson during the worship service. There are several people in my church who have repeatedly shown a gift of relating to children and speaking the faith language at a level they can understand. Yet when I tapped a few of these shoulders they all refused, saying they just were not comfortable being in front of the congregation. This seems to be the "broken record" response to shoulder tapping in my church when it comes to serving during a worship service, and even in the larger life of the church. Thus the same small group of people get stuck doing everything all the time.
Now, I understand that not all people in the church are called to serve in this way. This is not meant to be a guilt trip for anyone who has ever responded with a polite "no, thanks". If everyone was leading worship, there wouldn't be anyone to lead. Yet why do people always balk at the thought of "being up front"? Public speaking is the most common fear. Why? Why are people who have such wonderful gifts so afraid to share them with the church? Is the problem in the heart of the individual, or is it in the heart of the church? When someone is willing to lead worship, or teach a children's lesson, or even preach, are they met with sincere encouragement or criticism?
I'm thinking that the problem is not just in the anxiety of the individual. There is also a problem in the openness and encouragement (or lack of) they are met with. The church needs to be a place that is safe for people to explore their gifts. The church as a whole (not just the pastor) needs to encourage and inspire the individual. The church also needs to call the people to step out of their comfort zone, to stretch their limits, and find what God is calling them to become. The church should be a place where people can openly practice and develop their gifts.
Many people in the church do not find those things. Yet I have. I remember when I was younger and did something during the worship service, even if it was just playing piano during prelude, I could almost always expect to find a note from our pastor thanking me and encouraging me to continue using my gifts. I'm not sure I would still be as involved in the church as I am today if it had not been for those nudges to keep pushing myself beyond my comfort zone. I grew up in a family who has always been involved in the life of the church and I was always offered opportunities to serve. It was through these experiences that I began taking steps outside of where I was comfortable. That circle has become larger and larger, and I have gone places and grown in ways I would have never imagined. I never imagined that I would go to school to study ministry and become so passionate about the church and faith. I never imagined that I would lead worship or preach or teach Sunday School. Yesterday I shared with my church family the next step in my journey- seminary and master's study at AMBS. Even two years ago I would not have seriously considered going to seminary. The dreams I dream today never even entered my imagination. But it has been during those times when I have willing stepped out into the unknown and have done things that scared me or made me nervous that I have experienced God most closely. And, even though I would have never imagined becoming what I am today, I can't imagine being anything else. And I attribute much of this to the support that I have received from my church family. But I don't feel that it is the same for everyone. As my church has gone through a couple pastoral transitions in the past several years, I'm afraid that this source has become somewhat lost. There are three key things that need to be in place in the church- a call to the individual to "step out fo the boat", opportunities to safely find, practice and develope gifts, and sincere support and encouragement along the journey. What can the church do to build a culture of call? How can the church journey with people as they dream and imagine and become the people God is creating them to be?
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Dry Bones
During the past few weeks I've been reading the reflections on Soul Space at http://www.emu.edu/soulspace/. The lectionary readings have been walking with Jesus as he ministers to Israel. This week the Scripture selections take us to the resurrection of Lazarus in John 11.
As I read this narrative, several questions arise. The first thing I notice is that Jesus does not immediately go to Lazarus when he receives the news that he is sick. It is clearly stated that Lazarus, Mary and Martha are very close friends of Jesus. Lazarus is called "the one you love". Mary is identified as the woman who worshiped at Jesus' feet, bathing him in perfume and drying his feet with her hair. Surely Jesus would want to help them. Yet, when Jesus finds that his beloved friend is sick he decides to stay where he is, completely missing the opportunity to heal Lazarus. Why? Yet as I read on Jesus does intend to go to his friend, even risking his life to go back to Judea. In verse 14, Jesus says "Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."
When Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick they expected him to come immediately to heal Lazarus. This family had listened to many of Jesus' teachings and witnessed scores of his miracles. They believed more than any other. At first it seems that Jesus is rejecting them. He waits four days until he arrives at Bethany, long past the time when the Jews believed in any possibility of the soul returning to the body. But if you listen closely to Jesus' words, you can hear that he is not rejecting his friends at all. Everyone expected Jesus to come heal Lazarus. But Jesus has other plans. He plans to do the unexpected- a miracle that will not only stretch Mary and Martha's faith, but will wipe away any doubt that he is the Messiah.
What are we expecting Jesus to do in our lives? Have there been times when we believed Jesus would answer a prayer, only to feel rejected and disappointed? And perhaps there have been times when Jesus has answered a prayer, but in a way that was completely unexpected. Or perhaps there have been times when Jesus has asked us to stretch the boundaries of our faith, to wipe away all doubt that He is Lord. When has Jesus done the unexpected in your life?
As I continue reading the story of Mary and Martha I notice that Martha goes out to meet Jesus upon his arrival. Mary stays at home. In other stories it is Mary who meets with Jesus, often sitting at his feet in worship, and Martha was at home. Here the roles have turned. Both have questions, wondering why Jesus did not come sooner- "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Yet Martha moves past her mourning and disappointment and meets Jesus in faith. "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.... I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world". Mary, on the other hand, does not come. Yet Jesus calls her to meet him, as Martha did. In response she "gets up quickly". She comes to Jesus with the same disappointment as Martha, asking the same question. She goes to meet Jesus in the midst of her mourning and sorrow.
When have you met with Jesus during times of disappointment and sorrow? Are you, like Martha, able to move past your disappointment and questions to meet with Jesus in faith? When life does not take the path that you had wished, do you continue to believe in the power and faithfulness of Christ? Or do you become burdened with doubt and resentment? Sometimes, when we must walk through valleys of pain, it is difficult to act in hope as Martha did. Sometimes we come to Jesus as Mary, with our weeping and heartache. Sometimes we come to Jesus when our faith is weak. Yet Jesus still calls us to meet with Him, just as we are, whether we hopefully meet him in faith, or burdened by pain and doubt.
And as Mary meets with Jesus, he is present with her. "...he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled". The next verse, famously known as the shortest verse in the Bible, is most likely one of the most powerful two words in this story. "Jesus wept". Jesus knew the heartache and sorrow Mary and Martha were feeling. His own heart ached as theirs did. Jesus mourned with them. Through their questions and doubt, Jesus was present. And just as Jesus was present with Mary and Martha, he is also present with us when our hearts ache. He is there, cleansing us with his own tears, holding us in arms strong and sure with love.
As the story continues Jesus asks that the stone of Lazarus' tomb be rolled away and he commands "Lazarus, come out!". Then the unimaginable happens. "The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face."
Here the lectionary also engages Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones. In this vision he is confronted with the question "Can these bones live?". In the midst of this valley covered in dry, lifeless skeletons, God commands Ezekiel to prophesy. "Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord."
How often do our lives, or parts of our lives, even our bodies, feel dry and lifeless? How often does the world around us seem dead and lost? How many others do we know who are also walking in lives that are hopeless and meaningless? It is in these spaces in our lives, where we are dry, weary, and hopeless that God says "O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it."
Returning to the story of Lazarus, Jesus' last words are "Take off the grave clothes and let him go". As I consider the resurrection and the action of removing the grave clothes from Lazarus, more questions arise. This story is not only about the presence of Jesus in our lives, or the miracle of the resurrection. It is also about caring for those encumbered by "grave-clothes". We are surrounded by people whose lives are dry and lifeless. How can I, as one who has already stepped out of the tomb and lives in the life-breath of the Spirit, open the tomb for others? How can I be a care-giver, working to remove the "grave clothes", the burdens, questions, and weariness of those who are coming to life in Jesus? Like Jesus has been present in my life, how can I be present with others in the midst of heartache and doubt? How am I living to free those who have been held captive? What's more, how is the Church inviting the dead to be raised to life in Christ? How is the Church acting as a care-giver to the lifeless? How is the Church being present with the mourning, the weary, the depressed, the destitute, the questioning, the lost, the angry, the burdened? How is the Church setting the captive free?
"So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.... So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet-- a vast army."
Come, Lord Jesus, be present in our mourning, our heartache, our questioning and doubt. Breath your life in those spaces of our lives that are dry and lifeless. Breathe your Spirit where we are weary or lost. Transform us, even in the unexpected and the unimaginable, and resurrect us in your grace. And as you transform us, lead us to be care-givers for those who are also burdened and held captive by the grave-clothes of this world. Breath your life in us, so that we may stand on our feet and become a vast army, proclaiming your Name.
As I read this narrative, several questions arise. The first thing I notice is that Jesus does not immediately go to Lazarus when he receives the news that he is sick. It is clearly stated that Lazarus, Mary and Martha are very close friends of Jesus. Lazarus is called "the one you love". Mary is identified as the woman who worshiped at Jesus' feet, bathing him in perfume and drying his feet with her hair. Surely Jesus would want to help them. Yet, when Jesus finds that his beloved friend is sick he decides to stay where he is, completely missing the opportunity to heal Lazarus. Why? Yet as I read on Jesus does intend to go to his friend, even risking his life to go back to Judea. In verse 14, Jesus says "Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."
When Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick they expected him to come immediately to heal Lazarus. This family had listened to many of Jesus' teachings and witnessed scores of his miracles. They believed more than any other. At first it seems that Jesus is rejecting them. He waits four days until he arrives at Bethany, long past the time when the Jews believed in any possibility of the soul returning to the body. But if you listen closely to Jesus' words, you can hear that he is not rejecting his friends at all. Everyone expected Jesus to come heal Lazarus. But Jesus has other plans. He plans to do the unexpected- a miracle that will not only stretch Mary and Martha's faith, but will wipe away any doubt that he is the Messiah.
What are we expecting Jesus to do in our lives? Have there been times when we believed Jesus would answer a prayer, only to feel rejected and disappointed? And perhaps there have been times when Jesus has answered a prayer, but in a way that was completely unexpected. Or perhaps there have been times when Jesus has asked us to stretch the boundaries of our faith, to wipe away all doubt that He is Lord. When has Jesus done the unexpected in your life?
As I continue reading the story of Mary and Martha I notice that Martha goes out to meet Jesus upon his arrival. Mary stays at home. In other stories it is Mary who meets with Jesus, often sitting at his feet in worship, and Martha was at home. Here the roles have turned. Both have questions, wondering why Jesus did not come sooner- "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Yet Martha moves past her mourning and disappointment and meets Jesus in faith. "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.... I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world". Mary, on the other hand, does not come. Yet Jesus calls her to meet him, as Martha did. In response she "gets up quickly". She comes to Jesus with the same disappointment as Martha, asking the same question. She goes to meet Jesus in the midst of her mourning and sorrow.
When have you met with Jesus during times of disappointment and sorrow? Are you, like Martha, able to move past your disappointment and questions to meet with Jesus in faith? When life does not take the path that you had wished, do you continue to believe in the power and faithfulness of Christ? Or do you become burdened with doubt and resentment? Sometimes, when we must walk through valleys of pain, it is difficult to act in hope as Martha did. Sometimes we come to Jesus as Mary, with our weeping and heartache. Sometimes we come to Jesus when our faith is weak. Yet Jesus still calls us to meet with Him, just as we are, whether we hopefully meet him in faith, or burdened by pain and doubt.
And as Mary meets with Jesus, he is present with her. "...he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled". The next verse, famously known as the shortest verse in the Bible, is most likely one of the most powerful two words in this story. "Jesus wept". Jesus knew the heartache and sorrow Mary and Martha were feeling. His own heart ached as theirs did. Jesus mourned with them. Through their questions and doubt, Jesus was present. And just as Jesus was present with Mary and Martha, he is also present with us when our hearts ache. He is there, cleansing us with his own tears, holding us in arms strong and sure with love.
As the story continues Jesus asks that the stone of Lazarus' tomb be rolled away and he commands "Lazarus, come out!". Then the unimaginable happens. "The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face."
Here the lectionary also engages Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones. In this vision he is confronted with the question "Can these bones live?". In the midst of this valley covered in dry, lifeless skeletons, God commands Ezekiel to prophesy. "Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord."
How often do our lives, or parts of our lives, even our bodies, feel dry and lifeless? How often does the world around us seem dead and lost? How many others do we know who are also walking in lives that are hopeless and meaningless? It is in these spaces in our lives, where we are dry, weary, and hopeless that God says "O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it."
Returning to the story of Lazarus, Jesus' last words are "Take off the grave clothes and let him go". As I consider the resurrection and the action of removing the grave clothes from Lazarus, more questions arise. This story is not only about the presence of Jesus in our lives, or the miracle of the resurrection. It is also about caring for those encumbered by "grave-clothes". We are surrounded by people whose lives are dry and lifeless. How can I, as one who has already stepped out of the tomb and lives in the life-breath of the Spirit, open the tomb for others? How can I be a care-giver, working to remove the "grave clothes", the burdens, questions, and weariness of those who are coming to life in Jesus? Like Jesus has been present in my life, how can I be present with others in the midst of heartache and doubt? How am I living to free those who have been held captive? What's more, how is the Church inviting the dead to be raised to life in Christ? How is the Church acting as a care-giver to the lifeless? How is the Church being present with the mourning, the weary, the depressed, the destitute, the questioning, the lost, the angry, the burdened? How is the Church setting the captive free?
"So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.... So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet-- a vast army."
Come, Lord Jesus, be present in our mourning, our heartache, our questioning and doubt. Breath your life in those spaces of our lives that are dry and lifeless. Breathe your Spirit where we are weary or lost. Transform us, even in the unexpected and the unimaginable, and resurrect us in your grace. And as you transform us, lead us to be care-givers for those who are also burdened and held captive by the grave-clothes of this world. Breath your life in us, so that we may stand on our feet and become a vast army, proclaiming your Name.
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