RE-formed

In the past three months you have provided me the opportunity to participate in some really very good seminars. And each one allowed me to consider the church in the 21st century. In September I attended a 3 day music seminar. Each time we worshiped it was in a different setting and with a different style. The first evening worship – was held in a modern state of the art space and our familiar Presbyterian hymns were transformed into state of the art jazz. Our next worship service was held in the chapel and more traditional with a mixture of liturgy, music and a sermon that was interactive. Scripture was not only read – it was acted out. Our last worship service together was filled with Scripture readings as well as music and hymns from around the world. It is the 21st century…and the church is changing. In October the seminar I attended was entitled Strategic planning in an Uncertain World. Asking the 35 pastors present – how can we stand with the church through this transitional period – and how can we move our church into the future without splintering and fracturing the faithful membership. Understanding that in these quickly changing times – a strategic plan can only look ahead about 6 months – and maybe not even a year. It is the 21st century and the church is changing. And just last week I sat with 50 pastors from Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Maryland, South Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida, and Texas and we looked at how ministry has changed. Every pastor there lamented a noticeable decline in church attendance over the past year – and though we all had our ideas about why – there was no consensus as to the cause. All of us were struggling to figure out a way to offer Sunday school or learning opportunities, but with little luck. It was agreed that we are at a tipping point – in a little more time, small member churches will out-number large member churches. In the not so distant future, - and already - churches are and will call part time pastors – because of rising costs and declining membership. Pastors will have to be bi-vocational – serving a church and holding down a regular job on the outside – leaving the leadership of the church mostly in the hands of the members. Organists are harder and harder to find – our music will have to be different. Technology has changed how we worship – screens have replaced paper bulletins, newsletters, and hymnals; Bibles are now apps on Smart phones; there are apps for daily devotionals, daily scripture readings. Church is on-line, sermons are podcasts, theological discussions are held in coffee shops or are held on blogs and replace Sunday school and Bible studies. Those who are under 50, are less interested in sitting in pews, but are drawn to hands-on mission in the community and outside of the church doors. And those gathered pastors pondered many things --as the church most of us knew-- is changing. While at seminary, I spent time with one of the professors. As one who stands on the front lines – she sees that in this 21st century, the church is already changing – and the ministers that seminaries are graduating are a new breed – their leadership style is far different - they won’t look like or serve or have the same ideas as the pastors who are over 50. And this past weekend – Patrick and Ethan, Judy Jones and I – attended a high school and college student conference at Massanetta Springs – where we spent time with over 100 other youth and adult leaders. And without a doubt – the church is changing. The music is different– there is more clapping, more laughter, more easy conversations between the pulpit and the pews, there is a renewed passion and there is great energy about the movement of the Holy Spirit in the people and in the church- some youth were so inspired they danced in their spots. They believe they are called to do great things in the church, and they are volunteers and leaders in their congregations. In this presbytery our youth are placed in leadership roles – at presbytery meetings; Bluestone, and mission trips. They sit on youth councils and planning teams….and through their service the church is changing. In every seminar and again at the youth conference there was an optimistic encouragement that the church will survive. A whole lot of what we know about church will remain – but some of what we know about church will not. I think in 20 years we will shed many of our expensive buildings – and I think we will meet in other places – to talk Scripture and how to live out the gospels. Sermons will become more like two-way conversations – and there will be a hunger to dig deep into the word of God – so that those conversations can happen. Because – especially us Presbyterians – have kept our faith in our heads and found it difficult to express that faith in words -- there will be more art in sanctuaries. People will express their faith in drawing, journaling, in poetry and in dance. I think our young people will lead all of us who want to join them out into the streets and I think together we will confess and live out our faith in places other than the sanctuary. And as I watched these young people greet each other and welcome and include the newcomers – and observed their interest in sharing their thoughts in our classes – I walked away half believing and half hoping that they will bring to the church a renewed sense of richness to the idea of Christian community. We are the Abraham’s who was asked to leave all he knew, and all that was familiar – to venture into places unknown. We are the Noah’s who heard a call, watched the destruction of what was, and lived to see a new creation. We are Moses – who walked a rocky path up a steep and dangerous mountain to hear what the Lord was calling His people to do – and came down – transformed - a new and different being. We are the Jacobs who wrestle with God’s will for our lives and for the life of the church - only to be renamed and set on a new path. And like Christ – it may be that the Body of Christ – the church as we know it -- will have to die in order to be resurrected into new life. A new life that shapes our present and our future. We are all those who believe that at all costs, the church must remain standing – even if that means our standing will look and feel very different. We are what was, and what is, and what is yet to be. And the church – as it has done over the last 2000 years, will be transformed. Or in language from the 16th century – when the church was really transformed by the likes of Luther and Knox; Zwingli and Calvin - the church reformed and always being re-formed by the word of God and the call of the Holy Spirit.

This LIttle Light of Mine

There are people who shop for Christmas all through the year, some of them start shopping for next year the day after the Christmas just past. They do this so that they are ready. There are people who retire and begin down-sizing. They move to smaller, one-story homes, have garage sales, get rid of all the extra stuff from the old house, and make sure their yard is manageable. They do all this to get ready – for the inevitable day when they can’t do what they used to do. And there are people who work on papers, homework, and projects well in advance. They prepare ahead in case something unexpected turns up. They prepare ahead to make sure that paper, that homework, or that project will be ready. And so it was for 5 of the 10 bridesmaids. The wise five were prepared and ready. The wise five brought a whole bunch of oil for their lamps – maybe they did this in case the bridegroom – who maybe had a reputation for being late –was true to that reputation. And according to the parable – he was…late. Late enough so that all 10 of the bridesmaids fell asleep and did not awake until midnight when the bridegroom finally showed up. And the wise five who thought ahead; the wise five who were prepared for unforeseeable possibilities, were ready to escort the bridegroom to the wedding banquet. The foolish five were just plain out of luck. They asked their bridesmaid friends if they could borrow a little bit of oil but were told – No – we’re gonna keep all of our oil for ourselves – and if you were as wise as us you would have brought more of your own – – you’re out of luck – why don’t you see if a store is open at this late hour and go buy your own. But the oil store was closed and by the time the foolish five found oil, it was too late – the wedding banquet door was shut and they were not allowed in. This may not be a favorite parable – because it doesn’t sound very Christ-like or very Christian-like. Someone goofs up – miscalculates, makes a mistake, doesn’t bring enough oil – and it’s just too bad. Supposed friends --those bridesmaids - don’t back you up, don’t help, don’t even care – just left the other 5 out there hanging. And then they kind of mocked them for not being wise, sent them on a wild goose chase for oil, and when they did their best to make it right – it was still too bad – they were locked out. Nothing like how we think of Jesus there was No understanding, no forgiveness, no second chance, no nothing. New Testament theologians don’t even like this parable – and for the same reasons we don’t --it sounds neither Christ nor Christian like. But you see Matthew had an agenda: it was important for Matthew and his congregation to remain faithful – important to remain diligent in their faith, prepared and ready for the 2nd coming. Because if they weren’t on top of their faith at all times – they might not make it into the Kingdom of Heaven. And since Christ’s 2nd coming was delayed and delayed and delayed….this parable was to make sure the people didn’t get discouraged while they waited and waited …..and still--- here we are ---waiting. So while we wait, while we prepare for Christ’s return, and while we may think we are ready for that day – Have we checked our oil lamps lately? I ask this question because we are called to be a light to the world- no matter what – Jesus told us we are a light to the world. And so it is important that we keep an eye on our oil. Do you work too much – burning your oil day and night? Are you over your head with appointments and commitments – finding that you are running on less than a flicker – leaving not even a flicker for God? Have you put your lamp down; forgotten where you put it; packed it away; maybe all the oil in you lamp is gone – and your feeling burned out in the faith department – maybe you’re tired of carrying that ol’ faith lamp and assume it’s someone else’s job now, perhaps you have a lamp filled with oil but can’t seem to get it re-lit? A Columbia seminary professor writes: Maybe this parable is not so much about how much oil you have, but about the oil you carry with you and what you do with it. We all have gifts, we all have a call on our lives to share those gifts through our worship and our study, through our service and our work. God in his wisdom has given each of us enough oil to do what we are asked and to do what we are required to do in his name. Keeping the faith is not easy – not easy when we see the horrors that human beings inflict on other human beings; not easy to keep the faith when the world changes so fast it feels like we are being left behind; not easy when life disappoints, when family’s come up short, when church doesn’t feel like the church we used to know. Keeping the oil lamps of our faith lit and burning brightly is not easy in this 21st century. But Christ will come – and what he has told us will have to be enough to keep us going until he comes again. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.