Most people would probably thnk that ministry takes place in the church. When you go to church ministry is taking place there. However, ministry actually takes place much more often outside the church. For example, the Book of Common Prayer takes the opposite view that most of us (even most Episcopalians) have about the purpose of the gits of the Spirit. Most people think that the gifts of the Spirit are meant ot build up the church. The Book of Common Prayer says, “The ministry of lay persons is . . . according to the gifts given them, to carry on Christ’s work of reconcilation in the world (page 855).” The idea is that most minstry takes place in the world through all the members of the church working in the power of the Holy Spirit. Wouldn’t that be different than what most people expereince now?
The Highest Priority of the Church
Another fine point made by MIchael Frost and Alan Hirsch in ReJesus has to do with the church’s highest priority and most important task. Many would say it is worship. Frost and Hirsch say it is mission. The point is that Jesus was more focused on going to people to demonstrate His lordship than anyone else. For us to become closer to Jesus, to have Him at the center of our Christian life is to be focused on mission just as He is. When that is the priority worship becomes more powerful as a proclamation of His lordship. Everything we do from now through the rest of eternity is meant to be a proclamation and demonstration of His lordship over all of creation and history. Every person served, every prayer that is prayed, every life transformed is a demonstration of His lordship.
The Wild Man
Rejesus:A Wild Messiah For A Missional Church by Michal Frost and Alan Hirsch presents a very challenging idea: We don’t really know Jesus as He is, but we can come to know Him more deeply than we ever have. They look at various desriptions of Jesus, what He did, and what happened to Him so that we can see Him in a truer, more accurate way. One great thing about doing that, among many, is you get a compelling, challenging idea about Who has called you to follow Him. What kind of man is it whose death results in an erathquake, 100’s of dead people come out of the grave, and combat seasoned Roman soldiers assigned to Jesus death squad fall to the ground terrified? that is what we need to come to know because that is the One who has called us to leave all behind and follow Him.
How About A Whole Week For Patrick?
St. Patrick’s Day was two days ago. Somehow, one day for Patrick is never enough. Its not because I am of Irish descent that I feel this way. Its not because the Celtic prayers stir me in a profound way. Its not because Irish dancing seems to have a power beyond itself, or the power the Celtic saints seemed to walk in is so compelling. Its because Patrick made the main thing the main thing. The main thing is mission. It is finding where God is at work in the world and joining in with that. Some time ago I copied a blog post without copying the author. What the writer wrote was this:
The church’s mission has often been hindered by two things: a shruken view of mission itself,and an implicit belief that reular church life is “about” something other than mission, with mission as a spare time activity for a few specially called people.
Patrick did not beleive that. He seemed to believe that mission is the center, and life of the church. For that reason he serves as an example to us all.
Its the missiology, stupid!
When Bill Clinton ran for President in 1992 it was reported that he kept a sign on his desk that helped him keep on track. That sign read “Its the economy, stupid!” For us today in the church the sign needs to read, “Its the missiology, stupid!” It is so easy to think that the main work of the church is to put more people in the pews. Really, it is to be on mission in the way that God is on mission. Wayne Schwab, retired evangelism officer for the Episcopal Church, says, “The Lord’s mission is to bring love and justice wherever they are blocked, and to increase them where they are already present.” God is at work in the world right now. Missiology is finding out what He is already doing and joining in with it. Schwab also says that the church does not have a mission which God suports, but that God has a mission which is carried out by the church.
This was one of the main themes dealt with by a new group in the Episcopal Church called “The Gathering of Innovators.” We met for the first time this past week in New Orleans. About thirty-five of us met, shared our minsitries, and found ways to support one another. The whole idea was to share how we are joininig in with what God is already doing in our communities. It was a great time. Even greater than that, the meeting was called, planned and financially supported by the Episcopal Church!
Worship
I have been leading worship for a lot of years now. I find it always challenging, never easy, continually fulfillling. One of the reasons for all of this is Who we worship. We are drawn to worship God. We are even created to worship, and God continually draws us to worship Him. One of the keys to worshiping Him deeply and fully is to ask Him to equip us for the worship He wants from us. That is a very challenging thing to do. Most people may think that you do certain things and you have worshiped. It is very important, however, to see God as the One in charge of our worship. He will call us at Prince of Peace to worship in certain ways. He will equip other local churches to worship in other ways. He is worthy of receiving it all.
Here is an experiment to try. Ask God to equip you to worship Him the way He wants you to worship Him and see what happens with you next Sunday. Let me know how it goes.
A Resolution That Keeps You
I have never been very big on making New year’s resolutions. Most people make them out of guilt and then can’t keep them anyway. I resolved not to increase my guilt. At least, I’ve tried.
The driving force behind the desire to make a resolution is the work of the Spirit of God. You want to get better at something you think you should be better at anyway. That feeling is the presence of the dream God has written on your heart that is not yet fulfilled. It is the calling He has placed on your life. You keep coming back to it year after year in some way not because you want to keep the resolutions you make. Rather, it is because the dream God has written on your heart keeps you. It will not let you go. It keeps calling you back wherever you are and whatever you are doing. It is the powerful hand of God holding you up. It is the calling of the Spirit to receive power and equipping to do what you were created to do.
My suggestion for a New Year’s resolution is to to become, with God’s help, the person He created you to become.
The Promise of Newness
Walter Brueggemann writes in The Prophetic imagination, “It is the task of pophetic imagination and minsitry to engage the promise of newness that is at work in our history with God(p.62).” That quote carries part of the foundation of discipleship. Being a disciples of Jesus is to be continually equipped for what He will do. One of the things He will do is to make all things new (Rev. 21:5). As Terry Fullam used to say, “Aren’t you glad God did not say, “I make all new things.” To engage the promise of newness is not to hoep that eveyrthing would go away and God would start over. Rather, it is to have for the first time what God has wanted all along. It is to be transformed into all we were originally created to be. It is to be restored to our purpose for being. It is to fulfill the calling God has placed on each and everyone of us. It isd to truly know our identity. From that point we can serve our communities in ways that each comunity becomes all that it was meant to be.
I don’t live there anymore
I left my computer at the Apple Store for repairs last week. My wife was out of town. She brought her computer with her, so I did not have access to a computer for several days. Checking emails, going to the internet for everything, and generally doing what I usually do has been severely compromised. In fact, its like living in 1992, maybe even 1986! What I have become absolutely convince of is that I no longer live in 1992, or 1986. Writing my sermon by longhand on a legal pad, instead of on power point was really odd, even though I have written sermons in long most of my life. Keeping in touch, organizing the ministry, just generally functioning is much different than it was only a few years ago.
The same is true for church leadership. Anyone who has been in the church for a little while has a set of expectations about how the church operates. That set of expectations worked well in a certain culture. We do not live there anymore. I find myself describing the culture we are in today with some accuracy. But, the methods I use to describe our current culture, and to invite people to behave differently, are from the “old ways.” I find myself broadcasting descriptions of our culture instead of looking for ways for people to share their experiences and observations with each other. I find my self almost pushing the priesthood of all believers on people instead of inviting them to think about the ways God seems to be already at work in and through their lives.
Part of my growth will be to learn to lead in a way that brings out the gifts and callings God has already distributed among His people.
Gathering of Innovators
I’m in New Orleans at the Gathering of Innovators conference. 35 of us were invited to take part in this 4-day conference. The first day was very full. It is going on in conjunction with the Union of Black Episcopalians confernece. I got to spend some time with Judy Conley who was on the same flight as I was from Phoenix. She had been to New Orleans before. She know of Mama’s Restaruant just a few blocks from the conference sight. The seafood gumbo was great! It was good to spend some time with Judy also. She has been around the Anglican Communion for a long time, and was honored by our bishop just this past Saturday at the convention of the diocese of Arizona by being appointed an honorary canon.
I also got to see Wayne Schwab once again. It is his birthday today. Wayne served for many years as the evangelism officer for the Episcopal Church. He now leads a ministry call Member Mission. It deals with the issue of how Christians pursue the Mission of God from Monday through Saturday. It is a very helpful and insightful ministry. I caught up with Wayne over dinner, which he invited me to share with him in his room so that we could have a chance to visit. He is a very encouraging man. He is well into retirement and recently widowed. Through it all the fire of gospel still burns brightly in him. HIs book, When the Members Are the Missionaries, is very worthwhile.
In our sessions I have been very impressed with the desire of the other participants to reach new people with new esxpressions of the faith. It is very encouraging to hear the stories of visionaries who are following the prompting of God into places no one else is going. It will a great four days.
