Over the past weeks, we have been
asking, “What Does God Envision for the Future of the Church?” We began by noting that over the past 50
years the American Church has been in statistical decline as measured in terms
of membership, financial giving, and average weekly attendance. We also observed that this statistical
decline has been matched by a decline in the social and moral influence of the
Church in society. As its relevance to
society has declined, the Church has been increasingly marginalized. This has created a crisis within the Church.
Then, last week we saw that with
crisis comes opportunity. A crisis can
jerk us out of the complacency of the routine.
Although it hurts and is uncomfortable, a crisis opens us to envisioning
a new and better future. But, what
counts as a faithful vision for the future of the Church? I suggested that a faithful vision for
the future must encompass four distinct dimension of the Church. That is, a faithful vision for the future
must include four dimensions of churches as communities of faith:
1. A
community of faith.
2. A
commitment to spiritual growth.
3. A
commitment to mercy, justice, and love.
4.
A community which worships together.
As
we continue our reflections this week, I would like for us to focus on the
inevitable fear and anxiety which inevitably accompanies change and adaptation.
With any major change in our lives there is always uncertainty. We don’t know how the adaptation will work
out. Will it succeed? Or, fail?
We don’t know how a major change will affect us. Will the change hurt us? Or embarrass us?
Since
there is uncertainty, we seek to avoid adaptation and change. Even though the status quo may no longer be
working; even though it may clearly harm us, there is something comfortable
about the status quo because the status quo is a known. By contrast, change and adaptation is always
uncertain and, therefore, risky. As a
result, it is natural to resist change and adaptation. We seek to avoid the unknown and
uncertain. Change and adaptation are
inherently risky.
There is
good reason to be prudent with change and adaptation. We should never change just for the sake of
change. Instead, we should carefully
assess and weigh the risks before embracing change. On the one hand, we should avoid the extreme
of recklessness; throwing caution to the wind and plunging into change without
first counting the costs and assessing the risks. On the other hand, we should also avoid an extreme
caution which paralyses us and prevents the implementation of needed
adaptation. We must chart a middle
course between extreme recklessness and extreme caution.
Yet, what if it is God who is
calling us to change and adapt?
My reflections this week are informed by a scriptural passage from Joel
2:28-29.
“Then afterward I will pour out my
spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men
shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male
and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit.”
“I will pour out my spirit.” This promise is critical to understanding the
entire passage. Biblical scholar Elizabeth Achtemeier provides the critical
interpretative key, when she writes: “God
promises to pour out the Spirit, on ‘all flesh’ …The Spirit of God throughout
the OT was a gift of power, given in order that the recipient might do a
particular job for God…”.[i] In other words, when God calls upon us to
change and adapt; when God calls upon us to undertake the risks and uncertainty
of change and adaptation, God also provides the power and ability to change. When we are confronted by fear and anxiety in
the face of needed change, we should also be re-assured by the faith that God
will provide the power to change and adapt.
God will provide a way. We just
need to trust God.
However,
trusting that God will provide can be a bigger challenge than the discomfort
which comes from change and adaptation.
You see, I prefer to rely upon myself, rather than to trust others—even God. I have spent my whole life relying upon
myself and my abilities; trying to be independent and self-sufficient. From an early age in American culture, each
of us is taught to stand on our own; to take care of ourselves and our own; to
be independent. Unfortunately, a
byproduct of that self-reliance is difficulty in trusting others, especially
God.
As I have reflected on my own inability to
trust fully, I have come to see that my lack of trust in God is fundamentally a
form of agnosticism. That is, my
reluctance to trust that God will guide and sustain me through important
changes actually boils down to a small residue of doubt in God and God’s
providence. Thus, to recognize the need
for change and to trust that God will guide us through that change is actually
an opportunity for spiritual growth. It
is, fundamentally, an opportunity to grow in our Christian faith; to become deeper in our faith by developing a stronger capacity to trust that we are not
alone. God is with us.
If you
live in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and do not have a place of worship, then I
invite you to come and join us at Christ United Methodist Church this Sunday,
October 22nd, as we continue this very important series of reflections on “A Vision for the Future of the Church.” Christ UMC is located at 4530 A Street in
Lincoln, Nebraska. Our two traditional
Worship Services are at 8:30 and 11:00 on Sunday morning.
Come and join
us. Everyone is welcome and accepted
because God loves us all.
[i]
Elizabeth Achtemeier commentary on Joel
in The New Interpreter’s Bible, volume
7 (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002), CD-ROM version.
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