"Change is inevitable. Growth is optional." (unknown)
"We fear change." (Garth Algar in the comedy "Wayne's World")
"So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)
-----------------
Not long ago I was reading back through my journal. I'm not much of one for journaling, so this particular volume covers about a seven or eight year time span. It was absolutely fascinating to read thoughts, reflections, and observations from across close to a decade, three ministry appointments, and two countries.
On the one hand, I was encouraged to see how much I have grown over the years. I've come a long way! I used to be terribly nervous before leading worship and preaching. I still get the jitters, but not nearly as much as recorded in this journal. I used to feel an overwhelming lack of self-confidence at times, but over the years that also has dissipated.
On the other hand, I was discouraged to notice how little I have changed over the years. The same childish frustrations, the same personality quirks, the same habits that don't serve me well--these are consistent over the years. (I would give you examples, but that would be TMI--"Too Much Information!") After seeing the same issues pop up year after year, I wonder--is lasting change possible? That is, are there elements to who we are that can never and will never change? Or is deep transformation of our hearts and lives really possible?
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement in England, would give an unequivocal yes to this question. He believed that as Christians actually live out their faith in practical ways--worshiping, praying, reading scripture, performing acts of compassion--they are shaped and changed more and more into the image of God. Indeed, he believed that it was possible for someone to be "made perfect in love" in this life. (At my ordination I was asked if I was "going on to perfection.") This isn't to be confused with perfectionism, but instead an affirmation that the power of God's grace is always working on us. And as we cooperate with it and open ourselves to it, God's grace will move us on toward being "perfected in love."
As a Christian who believes in the power of God to transform lives, like Wesley I, too, wish to affirm the possibility of deep and lasting change in our lives. But what I'm becoming more and more aware of is that I can't sit back and let God do all the heavy lifting. I have to have the courage to identify those places where God isn't done with me yet, and then faithfully and attentively seek God's help in being molded more and more into the uniquely loving shape that God has in mind for me.
Based on what I was reading in my journal, I've got my work cut out for me! But, as Jesus said, "with God, ALL things are possible."
Blessings,
Jeremy
27 October 2009
08 October 2009
Meditation: "A Knot of Love"
"I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit..." (John 15:5)
"God’s heartbeat can be heard in the whole of life and at the heart of our own lives, if we will only listen." (J. Philip Newell)
*****
Dear Friends,
Last May I gave a sermon entitled, "A Knot of Love." On the cover of the order of worship that day was a picture of a Celtic knot. (You can see image samples of Celtic knot work here.) For some reason, this past week I've been thinking back to that sermon and especially to the image of the Celtic knot.
We human beings are pretty good at compartmentalizing our lives. I know I am. "God-time" is Sunday morning or when I am intentionally praying or reading something "spiritual." That is distinct from "family time" or "meal time" or "exercising time"... You get the idea. Sometimes I get discouraged with myself for not carving out more time to cultivate a connection to God. I can fall into that false choice between nurturing my spiritual life or doing "stuff that needs to be done". But what I too often forget is that cultivating a spirit-filled life means practicing the presence of God at the heart of *all* life--no matter what I am doing.
The ancient Celts who were Christian understood that God was not just up in the sky, that "God-time" could not be confined to an hour here or there. They understood that all of creation was shot-through with God-reality, that it is God who pulsates in and through all of the universe. Celtic knot work reflects this essential orientation to life--God and humanity all tangled up together, God and creation all intertwined with one another, inseparable.
I still deeply believe that intentional times of prayer and study, of contemplation and reflection, of worship with other Christians is essential for those who wish to grow more and more into the likeness of God. But, having said that, the image of a Celtic knot reminds me that God will not be confined to those times. The image of a Celtic knot invites me to know that in each and every moment, in each and every breath--and the spaces in between--God IS. Thanks be to God!
Blessings on your week,
Jeremy
Prayer: God, help us listen for your heartbeat deep within our lives, at all times and in all things. Amen.
"God’s heartbeat can be heard in the whole of life and at the heart of our own lives, if we will only listen." (J. Philip Newell)
*****
Dear Friends,
Last May I gave a sermon entitled, "A Knot of Love." On the cover of the order of worship that day was a picture of a Celtic knot. (You can see image samples of Celtic knot work here.) For some reason, this past week I've been thinking back to that sermon and especially to the image of the Celtic knot.
We human beings are pretty good at compartmentalizing our lives. I know I am. "God-time" is Sunday morning or when I am intentionally praying or reading something "spiritual." That is distinct from "family time" or "meal time" or "exercising time"... You get the idea. Sometimes I get discouraged with myself for not carving out more time to cultivate a connection to God. I can fall into that false choice between nurturing my spiritual life or doing "stuff that needs to be done". But what I too often forget is that cultivating a spirit-filled life means practicing the presence of God at the heart of *all* life--no matter what I am doing.
The ancient Celts who were Christian understood that God was not just up in the sky, that "God-time" could not be confined to an hour here or there. They understood that all of creation was shot-through with God-reality, that it is God who pulsates in and through all of the universe. Celtic knot work reflects this essential orientation to life--God and humanity all tangled up together, God and creation all intertwined with one another, inseparable.
I still deeply believe that intentional times of prayer and study, of contemplation and reflection, of worship with other Christians is essential for those who wish to grow more and more into the likeness of God. But, having said that, the image of a Celtic knot reminds me that God will not be confined to those times. The image of a Celtic knot invites me to know that in each and every moment, in each and every breath--and the spaces in between--God IS. Thanks be to God!
Blessings on your week,
Jeremy
Prayer: God, help us listen for your heartbeat deep within our lives, at all times and in all things. Amen.
30 September 2009
Meditation: "Doubt"
Jesus said to him, "...all things can be done for the one who believes." Immediately, the father of the child cried out, "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:23-24)
"Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves." --Rainer Maria Rilke
"Indeed God is mysterious...In the end, it is not this mystery that keeps us from God. The mystery is in fact part of what draws us to God." --Gregory S. Clapper
*****
Dear Friends,
For me personally, I've discovered an unexpected downside to Facebook. (For those who don't know, Facebook is an internet social-networking site.) I cannot fault Facebook for this one because, honestly, it's my issue. So here it is--visiting the profile pages of "friends" on Facebook stirs up the latent doubts in my heart about my Christian faith.
Why? Because so few people of my generation have anything to do with religion generally, Christianity in particular, and the church even more specifically. I read the Facebook profiles of people from high school and college and very few, if any, appear to have anything to do with a church much less religion. More than a few express negative or even hostile sentiments about religion. I am often impressed with the amazing things people my age have done and are doing--they are educators, doctors, environmentalists. But there's not much there in the realm of religion. Not to over-generalize from my poking around Facebook (although statistics do bear this out), but by and large people in their 20's and 30's don't have much to do with "organized religion" (which is a weird phrase itself--I've never experienced authentic religious experiences as very "organized").
Of course, my life is immersed in the church. As a pastor, not a day goes by when I am not encountering scripture or thinking about God or striving to practice my Christianity. And so I feel a bit like an odd-ball, out-of-step with my generation, kind of a curiosity. That which is central to my life is peripheral, at best, to so many others my age.
And so my latent doubt is stirred up and I wonder: "Am I fooling myself?"
But here's the deal: I just can't let go of this God thing. On a level that my rational brain cannot fully process, I feel in my guts that God is real and that--for me--Jesus Christ is the Way to connect with that God-reality. Yes, I have doubts and questions--more than I care to own up to. Yes, there is unbelief in my believer's heart. There are days when I imagine what it would be like to not go to church, to make decisions in life apart from my Christianity--and it feels exceedingly strange. The sense I have is that my life would be impoverished, less meaningful. And even trying to imagine this is, for me, ultimately a futile exercise. My own being is so inextricably linked with the faith of Jesus Christ that trying to separate them would be like trying to take the red out of red. It wouldn't be red anymore.
The quote above resonates so much for me--the mystery of God, rather than being a barrier, is what draws me to God. In that mystery there is space--for belief and unbelief alike--space for questions and doubt and awe and wonder and passion and fervent prayer. That's a space I can inhabit, where I can make a home. A place where I can be still and know...that God is.
Blessings on you,
Jeremy
Prayer: God of Mystery, when doubt is stirred in my heart, grant me patience and peace. By your Spirit, lead me "out of the question, and into the mystery."*
* A lyric from David Wilcox's song "Into the Mystery"
"Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves." --Rainer Maria Rilke
"Indeed God is mysterious...In the end, it is not this mystery that keeps us from God. The mystery is in fact part of what draws us to God." --Gregory S. Clapper
*****
Dear Friends,
For me personally, I've discovered an unexpected downside to Facebook. (For those who don't know, Facebook is an internet social-networking site.) I cannot fault Facebook for this one because, honestly, it's my issue. So here it is--visiting the profile pages of "friends" on Facebook stirs up the latent doubts in my heart about my Christian faith.
Why? Because so few people of my generation have anything to do with religion generally, Christianity in particular, and the church even more specifically. I read the Facebook profiles of people from high school and college and very few, if any, appear to have anything to do with a church much less religion. More than a few express negative or even hostile sentiments about religion. I am often impressed with the amazing things people my age have done and are doing--they are educators, doctors, environmentalists. But there's not much there in the realm of religion. Not to over-generalize from my poking around Facebook (although statistics do bear this out), but by and large people in their 20's and 30's don't have much to do with "organized religion" (which is a weird phrase itself--I've never experienced authentic religious experiences as very "organized").
Of course, my life is immersed in the church. As a pastor, not a day goes by when I am not encountering scripture or thinking about God or striving to practice my Christianity. And so I feel a bit like an odd-ball, out-of-step with my generation, kind of a curiosity. That which is central to my life is peripheral, at best, to so many others my age.
And so my latent doubt is stirred up and I wonder: "Am I fooling myself?"
But here's the deal: I just can't let go of this God thing. On a level that my rational brain cannot fully process, I feel in my guts that God is real and that--for me--Jesus Christ is the Way to connect with that God-reality. Yes, I have doubts and questions--more than I care to own up to. Yes, there is unbelief in my believer's heart. There are days when I imagine what it would be like to not go to church, to make decisions in life apart from my Christianity--and it feels exceedingly strange. The sense I have is that my life would be impoverished, less meaningful. And even trying to imagine this is, for me, ultimately a futile exercise. My own being is so inextricably linked with the faith of Jesus Christ that trying to separate them would be like trying to take the red out of red. It wouldn't be red anymore.
The quote above resonates so much for me--the mystery of God, rather than being a barrier, is what draws me to God. In that mystery there is space--for belief and unbelief alike--space for questions and doubt and awe and wonder and passion and fervent prayer. That's a space I can inhabit, where I can make a home. A place where I can be still and know...that God is.
Blessings on you,
Jeremy
Prayer: God of Mystery, when doubt is stirred in my heart, grant me patience and peace. By your Spirit, lead me "out of the question, and into the mystery."*
* A lyric from David Wilcox's song "Into the Mystery"
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