Thursday Thoughts

Discovering What's Next For Your Ministry

"The vocation for you is the one in which your deep gladness and the world's deep need meet."

--Frederick Buechner, writer and Presbyterian clergyperson.

 

I heard this quotation from Buechner several years ago and it so deepened my understanding of ministry. And not just the ministry of the ordained among us, but for what I sometimes call "the real Christian"--the faithful and dedicated members of the congregation.

 

All of us, of course, are called to ministry. Our baptism is our ordination into Christian ministry and so our lifelong work is to discern how we might best serve God, God's church and God's people. Each of us has unique gifts (deep gladness in Buechner's words) and the world has "deep need."

 

For far too long, church folk volunteer to serve in a ministry and it seems like they are there until we bury them. Or until they finally just drift away. If you are feeling burned out, be open to something new. Walk around the Ministry Fair, talk to your fellow ministers and be open to what the Spirit might be up to in your life. It's okay to drop one piece of work and pick up another.

 

With gratitude for our work together,
Hunt+

 

A stand against perfectionism

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
--Leonard Cohen, Anthem

The cult of perfection. I see it all around me. And is usually my practice, when I see something in others that I find destructive, or distasteful or even annoying, I look inside first. And so, of course, as someone formed by western and American culture, by standardized tests and college entrance exams, by corporate performance reviews and the underlying message of modern life that I'm not fit enough, smart enough or cool enough--and if only I'd buy Brand X all would be well--I too worship at the altar of perfectionism. And it is soul killing.

It starts early. I saw it last night at Curriculum Night at my son's school. We parents imagine that the right teacher, the right math classroom, the right formula for balancing soccer, band practice, homework and 'quality" family time, and spiritual practice (our addition to the list) will ensure that Johnny cannot only read, but be valedictorian at Harvard. It made me sad for Will and for me and it made my stomach hurt.

Worshiping at the altar of perfectionism starts early and lasts a lifetime. When I talk to people about joining the choir, I hear, "My voice is terrible," or "I can't sing anymore." Or when we ask one of Emmanuel's many instrumentalists to share their gifts and talents, we hear "Oh, I'm not good enough for anyone else to hear." Or when I ask people to consider teaching Sunday school, I hear, "Oh, I don't know enough about the Bible."

In the church, the question is not, "Am I competent enough" or "perfect enough," but "what might I share with my community that might equip us all to more fully welcome, worship, witness, and serve?" Please, let us borrow Leonard Cohen's words--forget our perfect offering-- and instead ring the bells that still can ring. The world needs much more light. We need your light and the light of all who gather at Emmanuel.

For kicks and possibly a little edification, watch this video of Cohen singing Anthem. I would love a conversation on-line or in person about what this topic or the lyrics evoke in you.

Your brother in Christ,
Hunt+

Calling Us Together

I believe that's what the Spirit of God does: calls the people of God together to pray, to sing, to heal, to teach and learn, to give thanks for all that we are and to be willing and able to do the work we are given to do. I see it happen all the time here. And yet, we can never be too open to the Spirit.  

I felt the Spirit gathering us this past Sunday as we welcomed in Baptism a new Christian brother into the household of God. I sense God's presence in meetings of ministry groups and in conversations at Vestry meetings, in the huge Tuesday afternoon Study group, in the smiles and enthusiasm of our acolytes and young percussionists, in the conversations I have with faithful longtime members of this congregation who are honest about changes we've made in music and liturgy. I will feel God's presence when Jack and I gather with the Adult  Choir for a kick-off social this Sunday evening.

God works and moves and acts everywhere in the cosmos. And God works and moves and acts on Sundays at Emmanuel when a psalm refrain catches us off guard and we're touched somewhere deep inside. The Spirit is moving when a new person or family walks through our doors and they see a place they might just be able to call home. Being welcomed means experiencing a gathered community that doesn't want to turn them into a clone of themselves, but is open to being changed by those we welcome in the name of Christ. A life in God as revealed in Christ is about transformation.

 Welcome and hospitality and transformation are hardwired into the DNA of Emmanuel. Our work this fall is to share it with reckless abandon. See you Sunday in church!

Blessings upon us all, Hunt+

Ministry as Slow and Consistent Work

Much of our work as Christians takes place over years, a lifetime, generations. I think the work of our friend and sister in Christ, Bobbie Morris, provides an example for all of us of how our own gifts and interests can and should intersect with the needs of our church community. She picked up the baton of leadership for our garden ministry and is now ready to pass it on, making sure she and our other gardeners left the grounds in better shape than they found them. Our gardens are spectacular and sacramental--outward and visible signs of God's presence in the world and what loving and caring people can create and share. It is now time, however, for others to pick up where Bobbie is letting go. She'll be around to consult and weed and help out, but not to lead.

And so it is in other ministries, picking up and letting go: working with our children and teens, our choirs, the Social Action Commission, the vestry to name just a few. The Spirit of God is always at work, calling individuals and communities into new life, new work, new ways of being in the world. This is is not about an older generation biting at the bit to unload some work, or guilting someone into doing a task, but about all of us wondering to ourselves and each other, "is it time for me to drop one piece of our common work and pick up another."

Please pay attention to what the Spirit might be calling you to here at Emmanuel, then talk to Arienne, Beverly, Jack or me and we'll help you figure out how best to make it happen.

With gratitude for all who serve God in and through the Church,
Hunt+