That Thing You Do

Last night at TAB we started talking about the things we do as the Church and why it is that we as the Church do those things...

I brought up church membership--joining a church. Why is it that we do that? Why is it important? Is it just so there's a church out there that will do your funeral when you die? So you can get married there? So you can have a place--a "home?"

One of the things that came through our conversation last night that was pretty profound to me was the idea that we have a deep need to talk about the deep, mysterious, spiritual things as well as a deep need for community. I think that, among other things, that's what the Church is.

This brought us to a sadness that, in spite of the Church creating a kind of "unconditional support system," we often don't feel the permission to be real-to be broken among the Church. There are lots of reasons that people join churches. Lots of good ones, lots of superficial ones. May the Church continue to grow to be a place where "come as you are" is more than a dress code and "mission" is more than a business model.

What are some other things that the Church does that we should talk about? Why have you joined a church (or refused to join a church)?

50 Days of Prayer

Today I learned about a call to prayer issued from the Presiding Bishop of the ELCA. It was a call to simply pray. Specifically, a call to pray for the preparation of the church to gather together as representatives from many diverse congregations across the country as the church continues to seek God's righteous path and walk in it. I was particularly captured by a simple prayer out of the new hymnal that was shared as an option for daily meditation. I think I'll simply end this post with that. May it be our prayer always.

Gracious Father, we pray for your holy catholic church.

Fill it with all truth and peace.

Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it;

where in anything it is amiss, reform it;

where it is right, strengthen it; where it is divided, reunite it;

for the sake of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.

(Evangelical Lutheran Worship)

Discuss Community

So the whole discussion thing didn't quite work like I planned last time--I'm trying a new approach here. This Sunday night (6pm Lutheran Student Center) we are jumping in to round II of ESC (escape) and talking about community. I think it will be a great look at what it is we call community. As always, I don't think it'd hurt to give our little brains a head start so we can think about this stuff for more than 2 seconds before we feel like we have to give an answer. This also gives those of you who can't be there a chance to weigh in on the issues.

Here's what I want to know: I feel like we talk about community in the context of the Church a lot. We use language like "get connected," "have fellowship," "join," "belong," etc. There are a lot of other ways to have community. I have a couple hundred friends on Facebook. What do I need the Church for? Is that the Church?

What's the big deal about community?

Identity

The first topic that we'd like to discuss for esc is Identity. What determines who you are? What role do the people that you're in relationship with play in determining who you are? How is it that we see beauty in the unique and yet, in many areas of our lives we strive to be the same as everyone else whether it's keeping up with the Joneses or whether it's your own self-image?

esc

Hi all, I wanted to let you know that QuarterLife is partnering with two other local churches (Nazareth and Bethlehem) through the Lutheran Student Center at UNI in hopes of starting some good conversation around a variety of topics. The next four entries of our blog will be devoted to those topics. I'd be elated if you would share your thoughts about these topics as we go. If you want to be there in person, I'm sure that will be the most exciting. A gourmet dinner, presentation, conversation, dessert, etc. And the LSC is offering a simple time of worship afterwards. We will meet at the LSC at 6pm on the last Sundy of each month. (J25, F22, M29, A26). Email me (Chris@stjohncf.org) if you have questions.

Stealing Thoughts From Others So That I Feel Useful

Okay, so sorry it's taken so long for me to slap something else up here. I lost my palm pilot, as many of you know and, it seems, my brain with it. Today I reflected a little bit on my friend, Greg's blog. Greg who, like myself, likes to throw out thought provoking tidbits and see what happens is often more direct and probably effective than me in all that and inspires me often. Though he didn't frame it quite this way, I think he's getting at one of the issues that those of us in the quarterlife years (especially those in the "quarterlife crisis") struggle with: the notion of calling. What am I "supposed" to do with my life, etc. Here's a quick excerpt from his blog:

Many of us have heard the great stories of ministry. I’m talking about the stories that make us stand in awe. When I look at the lives of Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Billy Graham, I can’t help but be amazed. As inspiring as these stories are, they can also be paralyzing. I find myself saying, “How could I ever do something like that?” Don’t get me wrong. I want to do something great with my life, but where do I even begin? I need stories that seem possible.

He goes on to ask what needs are we staring in the face and what gifts do we have to serve the needs of the people around us. I responded by saying that I think sometimes we get off track a little when we're longing so strongly to be useful. I think that God is leading us in all things and to great things. But if I could get to where I could with the fullness of my being say, "Not my will, not my plans, not my ideas, not my way" and simply follow my shepherd then I would be closer to where God wants me to be and, coincidentally, more useful to God. The words of Paul continue to ring in my mind as he said in his letter to the Philippians, "Even If I'm being poured out like a drink offering..." wasted and spent, it is all to God's glory and it is more than worth it. "I rejoice." I don't think come to these conclusions on my own either. I was remembering a passage from my devotional book, My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers that says, "We have to get rid of this notion - "Am I of any use?" and make up our minds that we are not, and we may be near the truth. It is never a question of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. When we are abandoned to God, He works through us all the time."

Calling is something that I've struggled with for a long time. I casually use the term in reference to how I am trying to do God's will in my job and in my life, but I think that often enough the calling is "Come, follow me" rather than, "I have ordained you to be a holy blogger among the nations." Okay, this stuff touches on a lot of other stuff and as usual, I'm getting lost in my own thoughts. So, before this gets any longer I'll stop.

Well, as soon as I leave with this one story from Pastor Rell this last Sunday:

There was a young man named Rufus who was faithful and talented and for a long time, he tried to figure out what it was that he was supposed to do with his life. He had many opportunities, but wanted to know what the best option was. He prayed, he thought, he stewed, he asked others, and finally when he came into the church sanctuary and asked his pastor for the 16th time what he thought he should do with his life, his pastor said to him, "You know, Rufus, I think I know what Jesus would say to you if he was right here in person--if he walked right down that aisle and tapped you on the shoulder..." Rufus, excitedly bounced and begged him to tell him. The pastor said, "I think he would say, 'Surprise me!'"

I'm Tired Of Serving...

Serving other people wears me out.

After all of the local run-ins with floods and tornadoes, I think I've heard that sentiment from many different people. I'm guilty of it too. The first day Cedar Falls was in jeopardy I went down with a high schooler from the church to sandbag the levy. After spending the afternoon down there doing all sorts of different tasks, we finished our addition to one section of the levy and people were dispersing a bit and finding new things to work on. That was when the kid I was with came up to me and said, "can we go?" He was covered in mud and sand from the wet and dirty sandbags we were passing (especially from cradling them against his body after his hands couldn't take any more). I pushed back a little before we agreed to call it a night. Truth be told, I was exhausted too.

In the days and weeks that have followed, I've seen a lot of different responses. I've been amazed by the response of people in our church. I did start noticing how a lot of people seem to be just sort of run down. Tired of being asked to help with this and that, wishing they could just catch a movie or lay in the hammock-get their summer back.

That got me thinking about how we live out our faith in these times where everyone is asking something from us? Isn't our servanthood supposed to be an every day, part of your life sort of thing? How do we teeter on the totter of filling ourselves and filling others? I know I've heard sermons and book synopses about the importance of filling your tank before you try to fill others'. It feels sort of simplified, though. I look at the apostle Paul through his letters as he seemed to work tirelessly, traveling all over the ancient world strengthening the churches, preaching, and correcting. Maybe it's just hard to get a picture of his actual lifestyle, but it seemed to fit together better--like he was fed by his service and the Holy Spirit. I always go back to his line to the Philippians, "But even if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you." Even if I'm being poured out like a libation, a drink offering...

We find references to those drink offerings throughout the Old Testament. The firstfruits of your harvest of wine or oil or whatever else ended up "wasted"-- poured out on the ground in honor of God. It always feels to me like Paul is saying, "I'm putting everything I have into you guys and even if God is just wasting me, spending me, that's okay with me."

So then, we who have been baptized with the Holy Spirit, why do we feel so worn out? I don't expect to come to some conclusion here, but I want to reflect on it with you. Isn't putting our own desires aside, serving God, serving our neighbor at the heart of what Jesus taught us? Precisely what Jesus freed us for?