From the Pastor – September
16, 2009
I was enthused in reading an article by N. Graham
Standish entitled Humble Leadership. He captured in words the kind
of leadership that I strive to embody myself and encourage in other leaders
of the congregation as well. I also took notice how one particular phrase
tied in to the “Living More Fully in the Promised Land” theme of my
sabbatical last summer:
So what is the nature of humble leadership? It
is leadership that is radically open to God—in which we lead from faith
rather than fear, from a willingness to let God's will flow through us
rather than willfully insisting that our own will be done, from hope rather
than cynicism, from love rather than selfishness, and from God's power
rather than our own power. When we lead with an openness to God, we allow
God's power and grace to flow through us. We make prayer and discernment a
foundation of our leadership, always seeking first what God wants and then
leading others in that direction by inviting them to the same kind of humble
prayer and discernment… I've learned that becoming open to God means
following wherever God leads even if the way is obscured, for as the Bible
shows, God often calls leaders to lead people to promised lands that can't
be seen until the very end.
What I think is most
difficult about this approach to leadership is not always being able to see
clearly where God wants us to go. It requires a trust that God is at work,
and a willingness to enter into a process of discernment in which we are not
in control. What is God doing among us and through us? During my
discernment of recent days, I sense God moving in the life of Christ
congregation in some rather dynamic ways.
There seems to be some
positive energy around the kickoff of our new Sunday Celebration event on
Sunday evenings. I’m looking forward to these events providing another
avenue for us to encounter God and open our hearts in listening for
God’s call. It will also be good for us to be together celebrating our
Sacred Stories from Scripture.
There also seems to be
a growing excitement about the return of Tom Dearchs as our Minister of
Music. The choir is already rehearsing, and there might even be some new
faces appearing there. I quite enjoyed working with Tom in the past, and I
look forward to joining with him again in the creative venture of crafting
worship.
A new Adult class on
Emerging Church has been well received and enlightening. Our congregational
retreat is just a month away, and if history repeats itself, then all in
attendance can expect God’s power and grace to be a flowing. How will the
Holy Spirit surprise us this year?
I trust that God
continues to lead us ever more fully towards what for CLC will be the
Promised Land, and you never know, we might even already in some ways
already be there. Know that I’m ever interested in hearing about your
episodes of prayerful discernment.
Peace and Blessings,
Pastor Mark
Archive: From the Pastor:
August 24th
This past Friday the ELCA opened the door for persons
in same-gender committed relationships to serve as associates in ministry,
clergy, deaconesses and diaconal ministers. As I said in my sermon of 8/23,
this will be offensive to some, overdue for others, and worrisome for many.
The big question is whether or not we can all stay together in spite of our
differences surrounding such issues. It is my hope that Bishop Mark
Hanson’s plea to continue together in ongoing conversation will be heeded:
The church needs to be a safe place for
"rich theological conversation, biblical inquiry and faith expressions
and explorations," a quality of the Lutheran Church for 500 years," he
said. Hanson said the steps of implementing the actions of the assembly
would take time. "My prayer and my plea is that we take that time
together rather than separately," he said.
Whatever the future holds, our unity is already a
given. Our unity is in Christ. Seeing Christ in each other makes a huge
difference in how we engage one another in conversation. If you have
questions about this decision, then I invite you to be in conversation with
others leaders and/or myself. The same goes for any issue that you might
have about what happens in our ministry and life together at CLC.
Please take an opportunity to review the
Covenant of Conduct that the Council Leadership reaffirmed last March.
It clearly delineates a healthy process for us all to follow in dealing with
potentially divisive and conflictual issues. Having an emotionally safe
environment that invites and encourages ongoing conversations around
emotionally charged issues provides an essential foundation for us moving
forward in mission together. Since introducing the 4-S system 9 months ago:
1) No Secrets, 2) No Surprises, 3) No Subversion, and
4) Lots of Support, I’ve seen an improvement in the emotional climate
at CLC. I commend you for this, and I encourage you to see the Covenant of
Conduct as another means towards practicing the 4-S system.
As I’ve said before, the real key to this 4-S system is
the last ‘S.’ Perhaps a key to practicing it is to see each and every other
person, especially the one that we are most frustrated with, as a beloved
brother or sister in Christ.
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” -
Philippians 4:7
-Pastor Mark
Archive: From the Pastor:
July 15th
You may recall that in my sermon on Pentecost Sunday I
highlighted two questions for us to consider as we move forward together in
God’s mission. I noted that we had been spending time the last year in
cottage meetings and other discussions considering the questions of ‘who we
are’ and ‘what we wanted to do as a congregation.’ I then noted that these
were not the right questions. They sound like they are the right questions,
but they are actually missing a key component that helps us to address them
from a whole new perspective. Instead of ‘who are we?’ and ‘what do we want
to be doing?’ we really need to be asking: Whose are we? And what does God
want us to be doing?
The first of these questions deals with identity and
the second one with vocation, and I believe that the two are inextricably
woven together. As we seek a better understanding of our identity, the
subtle difference between who we are and whose we are is crucial. Just by
asking ‘whose’ instead of ‘whom,’ frees us from defining ourselves through
our own or other’s opinions. The question itself draws us to see our
identity reflected in baptismal waters. We are God’s beloved children. We
are blessed beyond our wildest dreams. All that we have and all that we are
is pure gift. When we know this in the very core of our bones, then the
answer to the second question can be boiled down to simply living each day
and every moment in full gratitude as God’s beloved. The particular shape
and form of such grateful living will vary among people and circumstances,
yet when we live out our gratitude of being God’s beloved, the two questions
of what God wants us to be doing and what we want to be doing merge into
one. Many years ago, St. Augustine said, “Love God, and do whatever you
want.” I think that Augustine realized that when we live out of the center
of God’s love, we’d be on board with God’s mission in the world.
In like manner Henri Nouwen once said, “Jesus
is the Blessed One. When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan river a voice came
from heaven saying: "You are my Son, the Beloved; my favor rests on you"
(Mark 1:11). This was the blessing that sustained Jesus during his life.
Whatever happened to him - praise or blame - he clung to his blessing; he
always remembered that he was the favorite child of God.
Jesus came into the world to
share that blessing with us. He came to open our ears to the voice that also
says to us, "You are my beloved son, you are my beloved daughter, my favor
rests on you ." When we can hear that voice, trust in it, and always
remember it, especially during dark times, we can live our lives as God's
blessed children and find the strength to share that blessing with others.”
We are God’s blessed ones, and I trust that God’s
generous love will be reflected in all we do. Or in the spirit of
Augustine: Love and be loved by God, then go and do whatever you want
to do.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Mark
Christ Lutheran Church
3401 S. Dixon Road
Kokomo, IN 46902
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