I'd like to share with you the Benediction from our Christmas Eve service. I'm not sure where it came from but it is not original to me. The thoughts are so powerful that it makes a great entre to New Year's.
Into this silent night we go (or we could say...into this new year we go)
Let us go as Mary did and ponder all these things in our hearts.
Let us go as Joseph did and listen to our dreams.
Let us go as the shepherds did praising and glorifying God for all we have seen and heard.
Let us go into the world as Jesus did and decorate it with love. - Unknown.
Happy New Year, my friends. May 2011 be a healthy and strong year for you and your congregations.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Merry Christmas
Ebeneezer Scrooge woke up on Christmas morning a changed man because of the prophetic dreams he had the night before. No more the miser, the 'scrooge', he was generous, kind and empathic. In many ways we too are to wake up changed people on Christmas morning because of the prophetic dream that came true when the baby Jesus arrived. And yet, how many of us, find ourselves changed, transformed, by this event?
Ok, I know I'm treading on some toes here. Of course, we all have had a conversion experience and have answered a call. Both of these events are life changing indeed. But what about your life changed? The direction, the path, the context for sure. What about the inner life? Did that change as mightily as Scrooge's? Or did we/do we just keep doing a lot of the same things we did before only now we can hide them or even use them in our new context? For example, before answering my call and responding with a life changing role to pastor, I was ultra responsible, the go to person in my family, the fixer, the over achiever, the performer. I gotta tell you that didn't seem to change very much when I became pastor. Well, you say, "you just took those gifts and used them for God and the church", I wish I could say "you bet I did, thanks for being so perceptive"
Deep inside though I know that isn't the truth. The truth is that I didn't let God transform me to trust that God's grace would be sufficient for all things and that I no longer needed to be the savior, the fixer, the achiever. It would have saved me a lot of sleepless nights, lots of money on prescriptions and lots of lost time with my family. And it might just have let the church be open to being transformed where they needed to be.
Maybe I'm all off base on this one and if so, I will own it. However, when I look at health and wellness of churches and their pastors, I wonder just how seriously we take the transformation that is to come when Christ is born in us again - each year - at Christmas. Will you be as exhausted as Mary was after she had given birth to Christ on Christmas Eve or will you be filled with rejoicing and energy that once again you have been given the gift of life through the grace of God?
Merry Christmas and God Bless Us Everyone!
Ok, I know I'm treading on some toes here. Of course, we all have had a conversion experience and have answered a call. Both of these events are life changing indeed. But what about your life changed? The direction, the path, the context for sure. What about the inner life? Did that change as mightily as Scrooge's? Or did we/do we just keep doing a lot of the same things we did before only now we can hide them or even use them in our new context? For example, before answering my call and responding with a life changing role to pastor, I was ultra responsible, the go to person in my family, the fixer, the over achiever, the performer. I gotta tell you that didn't seem to change very much when I became pastor. Well, you say, "you just took those gifts and used them for God and the church", I wish I could say "you bet I did, thanks for being so perceptive"
Deep inside though I know that isn't the truth. The truth is that I didn't let God transform me to trust that God's grace would be sufficient for all things and that I no longer needed to be the savior, the fixer, the achiever. It would have saved me a lot of sleepless nights, lots of money on prescriptions and lots of lost time with my family. And it might just have let the church be open to being transformed where they needed to be.
Maybe I'm all off base on this one and if so, I will own it. However, when I look at health and wellness of churches and their pastors, I wonder just how seriously we take the transformation that is to come when Christ is born in us again - each year - at Christmas. Will you be as exhausted as Mary was after she had given birth to Christ on Christmas Eve or will you be filled with rejoicing and energy that once again you have been given the gift of life through the grace of God?
Merry Christmas and God Bless Us Everyone!
Monday, December 13, 2010
The Moment that Matters
Photographers, really good photographers, know how to capture 'the moment that matters'. It's that one shot that captures what the photo shoot is all about, or what the story is all about, or what the scene is all about. How they do this is interesting in that it usually happens quickly. They find their position, take a warm up or two and then proceed to capture the moment that matters.
Not being a photographer I would have to take their word on the process and two things, however, jump out at me in this process. One is finding their position and the other is it happens quickly.
As leaders in the church often we think our position is up front leading, fixing, solving, advising, envisioning. And, yes, sometimes it is. And sometimes because we choose that position over and over we fail to capture the moment that matters to God, to others or even to ourselves. We fail to see the picture in all its potential and beauty. We miss the shot.
And then this whole thing about acting quickly. How quickly do you or does your church act when capturing that moment that truly matters? Or does the moment get sent to committee or ignored for the usual reasons of lack of money or peoplepower?
When I think of the Advent stories of Zechariah, Elizabeth and Mary I see how they either captured the moment that mattered or failed to. Zechariah was in the right position to capture the moment with the angel but his doubts kept him from acting quickly enough to truly capture what mattered. Elizabeth and Mary found themselves in no position of consequence and yet because of their humble position they were able to move quickly and capture the essence of the moment that they would be the ones to deliver the good news.
Where do you find the Zechariah's, Elizabeth's and Mary's in your congregation, in yourself? How do you keep yourself positioned to capture the moment this Advent, this coming Christmas, this new year?
Not being a photographer I would have to take their word on the process and two things, however, jump out at me in this process. One is finding their position and the other is it happens quickly.
As leaders in the church often we think our position is up front leading, fixing, solving, advising, envisioning. And, yes, sometimes it is. And sometimes because we choose that position over and over we fail to capture the moment that matters to God, to others or even to ourselves. We fail to see the picture in all its potential and beauty. We miss the shot.
And then this whole thing about acting quickly. How quickly do you or does your church act when capturing that moment that truly matters? Or does the moment get sent to committee or ignored for the usual reasons of lack of money or peoplepower?
When I think of the Advent stories of Zechariah, Elizabeth and Mary I see how they either captured the moment that mattered or failed to. Zechariah was in the right position to capture the moment with the angel but his doubts kept him from acting quickly enough to truly capture what mattered. Elizabeth and Mary found themselves in no position of consequence and yet because of their humble position they were able to move quickly and capture the essence of the moment that they would be the ones to deliver the good news.
Where do you find the Zechariah's, Elizabeth's and Mary's in your congregation, in yourself? How do you keep yourself positioned to capture the moment this Advent, this coming Christmas, this new year?
Monday, December 6, 2010
What Others Need
While meeting with a church leadership team recently who have been without a pastor for several months, I asked them what they expected from an interim. The answer took me totally by surprise. They said, "We need to be able to stay ramped up, solving our problems, and leading this congregation with a strong lay presence. We don't want to become dependent on a pastor." Now some pastors might think, "well, I guess you don't need me." (Subconsciously implied that "I need to be needed".) Others might celebrate this position without knowing what it meant. (Subconsciously implied "Good for you. What will I do?") And others might just sit back, let out a deep breath and smile. (Consciously implied "A partnership in Christ. How refreshing.")
So often we clergy are quick to fix, to see the need and offer the solution, to take care of others and all the time know we are burning out, losing touch with our call and passion, and not really solving anything. When we shape our interests and passion around what others need rather than around what our body needs to stay strong, we sell ourselves and our congregations short. How often do we find ourselves trying to give to others what we don't have in ourselves in any more? You can't give what you don't have.
Each week in Advent the light gets brighter, the flame grows and we see a bit more of the story. Do you do the same for yourself? Does your flame grow stronger as you reconnect to the story for yourself. Or are you to busy making sure that the flames of others are bright and to do you do for others what they need to do for themselves to make their flame stronger and to connect to the story for themselves? Watch your own flame this season. May it be burning brighter not dimmer as we move into the new year.
So often we clergy are quick to fix, to see the need and offer the solution, to take care of others and all the time know we are burning out, losing touch with our call and passion, and not really solving anything. When we shape our interests and passion around what others need rather than around what our body needs to stay strong, we sell ourselves and our congregations short. How often do we find ourselves trying to give to others what we don't have in ourselves in any more? You can't give what you don't have.
Each week in Advent the light gets brighter, the flame grows and we see a bit more of the story. Do you do the same for yourself? Does your flame grow stronger as you reconnect to the story for yourself. Or are you to busy making sure that the flames of others are bright and to do you do for others what they need to do for themselves to make their flame stronger and to connect to the story for themselves? Watch your own flame this season. May it be burning brighter not dimmer as we move into the new year.
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