One of my favorite writers on the church and faith in the
21st century is Tom Ehrich.
In a recent post in his On the Road series, Ehrich wrote this:
"The longer I study Scripture, wrestle with ethical
issues, write about God, and pray to God, the more I realize that God is a wild
one. Not the least predictable or controllable. Not the steady rock I have
wanted God to be, but a wild-flowing stream that carries me along to the life
God wants me to live. Sometimes I cling to a passing tree, or make landfall and
think I have arrived, or buy a big boat to master the current. But the river
flows on, and all of my efforts to make it manageable and pleasant don't deter
God from doing what God wants to do."
These prophetic words speak to me as an individual as a
member of the body of Christ.
I discovered several years ago that God will not allow me
to become comfortable. In my late
forties and early fifties, I experienced what I refer to as “the decade from
Hell.” During this period, my wife’s
mother succumbed to Alzheimer's disease, my father died of heart failure, my mother
began a long period of treatment for cancer, our preschool grandson passed away
after a two year struggle with cancer, and I was involved in a ministry that
was both challenging and frustrating. God did not take all of this away but God
walked with us during this period. I learned many things during this time. One was that I should celebrate every day of
life. I also learned that any illusion
that I was in control was a myth.
Our God is the god of wilderness, journey, exile, loss,
crucifixion, and rebirth. In our own
lives and in the testimony of scripture, we come to understand that God does
not always deliver us immediately from strife and depression, but God does
bring renewal and new hope on the other side.
God calls us to endure, listen, and learn for the next stage of the
journey.
When we are faithful on this journey, God often surprises
us. God provides new and productive
paths of life and service. Despite all
of my planning and preparation, I did not foresee where I would be almost seven
years into “retirement.” I have the
opportunity coach clergy and consult with congregations through Pinnacle
Leadership Associates. I am teaching
students at Central Baptist Theological Seminary and consulting with faculty
and administration on creative ways to form ministers. Who would have thought that the odd
assemblage of gifts, training, and experiences of my life would have fitted me
for what I am doing now? Evidently, God
did.
As a part of the body of Christ, the unpredictability of
God reminds me again of the precarious nature of “strategic planning” for a
congregation. A church needs to embrace
its mission and have a vision for where God is leading it, but the plans and procedures
must be held lightly for God continues to surprise with new challenges and possibilities. Rather than codify each step in the church’s anticipated
future, a congregation would do well to discover and develop the resources—spiritual,
personal, financial, and physical—that God has provided and respond tactically
to the changes that are happening all around it.
In so doing, the church will be like the people of
Issachar, “who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to
do” (I Chronicles 12:32, NRSV). This requires a combination of perception, preparation,
and faithfulness. First, we must be sensitive
to our context. Second, we must be aware of and be good stewards of what God
has put in our hands. Third, we must be
willing to act at the appropriate time.
The one certainty is that God will open doors at the most
unexpected time. Will we be willing to
step through?
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