Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.
Psalm 119:67
We can learn much about ourselves, God and life via suffering. For starters, we can learn what matters. But in order to do so, we must reflect.
Navigating Change: Much is changing. And much of the change feels like a threat. Count me among those who’d like to slow down the delta. Of course, that isn’t going to happen. And so we look to God’s Word to see things via His perspective, and we also look back in order to learn how to look ahead. A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a 1923 article in which church leaders were complaining about the disruption and ruin being caused by new technology. It was undermining the church. It was changing everything. It was bad. It was… the radio.
Another Angle on Change: I spent some of this week at a gathering outside of Portland, where Christian leaders have been asked to listen and learn from “voices outside our tribe.” It has been stretching and disruptive. I trust good will come of it. But, per the previous entry, I’m too old to put disruptive and fun in the same sentence. And then, as I was thinking about the presentations I had heard, I read this tweet from Tim Keller: In 2000 years, we’ve never learned how to do mission in a place that was post-Christian rather than pre-Christian. If you’re in ministry, it’s going to take all of your life to help the church figure out how to do this.
Learning to be Served: Christ’s model of washing his disciples’ feet is a clear call to serve. In fact, though I do believe we should find ways to serve in the areas of our gifting, we must not be confused – the call of Christ is to do whatever is needed. Nothing is beneath us. It is with that in mind that I note that I have a particularly hard time getting people to…allow others to serve them. In the zip codes where I pastor, people want to be known as being strong and capable. They want to serve others. They do not want to receive help. As a result, when they are hurting, they hide. And when that happens, everyone loses.
Cause, Community and Corporation: When people ask how the church is doing, I ask what they’re asking. The church is a mission (the cause); a group of people (the community), and an organization (the corporation). No one is excited about the third, but it’s often what they ask about. And it’s worth noting, if the corporate side is mismanaged, both the cause and the community suffer. I share this because many knock the image of a pastor as CEO. I understand why. But their point can be overstated. And – as Carey Nieuwhof notes in this article – for all the positive vibes the image shepherd-leader may conjure, shepherds tend to be a bit rough around the edges and also autocratic leaders.
Futurum versus Adventus: Fifty years ago, German theologian Jurgen Moltmann made an important distinction between two Latin words – futurum and adventus. The first is the projection of trends. It assumes today is pregnant with tomorrow. The second argues for something quite different. It believes outside forces will change the trends. Advent hope is not grounded in positive trend lines but in the belief in “outside forces.” It is the belief that a faithful God will show up as promised. To put a finer point on it, Advent affirms that He who showed up as a baby will return again in power.
Quotes Worth ReQuoting: “Many former ‘sins’ have become ‘crimes’ so that responsibility for dealing with them has passed from church to state – from priest to policeman. Others have dissipated into sickness, or at least into symptoms of sickness so that in their case, punishment has been replaced by treatment. A third convenient device called ‘collective responsibility’ has enabled us to transfer the blame from some of our deviant behavior as individuals to society as a whole or to a specific group in society.” Karl Menninger, as cited in John Stott’s book, The Cross of Christ.
Closing Prayer: I am not worthy, Master and Lord, that you should come beneath the roof of my soul; yet since in your love toward all, you wish to dwell in me, in boldness I come. You command; open the gates, which you alone have made. And you will come in, and enlighten my darkened reasoning. I believe that you will do this; for you did not send away the harlot who came to you with tears, nor cast out the repenting tax-collector, nor reject the thief who acknowledged your kingdom. But you counted all of these as members of your band of friends. You are blessed forevermore. Amen. (John Chrysostom, 347 – 407)