Why I Serve a Congregation

There has been a number of times in my life recently I have wonder why I continue to serve a church, besides all that call from God business. All the frustrations of being in a place and serving many people who do not have much control in the other parts of their lives, in their work place, with their health or multitude of other places, who feel free to express at church all the pent up needs and to vent in a safe place. Where it is safe to be angry or _____ (fill in the emotional blank) at the pastor or unfortunately at the pastor's spouse. This is also demonstrated in the need to keep everything the same. To keep the same activities, the same traditions in order to make sure the church is the one place they can count on for stability in their lives.

My sadness is that they hold so tight to the traditions and by holding on to those traditions their safe place is only safe for them and is not open to anyone else, unless they are willing to change and become like them. Without change and/or allowing other people to make the church a safe place, on their own terms, the church becomes a tomb that is only fully realized when it is empty.

This last week I was reminded why I continue to serve a congregation, beside all that call from God business. Last week I got to spend a day with an Elder who understands what it means to be part of a congregation. We spent the day putting speakers in the sanctuary for the members of the congregation who do not hear as well as they have in the past. As we worked we both new that the room was to small to need speakers, as a matter of fact when we tested the speakers he could not always tell if the the sound was coming from me or the speakers.

What I remembered was that one of the things that keeps me serving a congregation is the privilege of being with and learning from the people am a called to serve. It might be selfish of me but I get a lot of joy of seeing people using - unselfishly - the gifts God has given to them. I believe that part of my responsibility, as a pastor, (and in general as a Christian) is to observe and then tell people when I see God at work in their living and giving. There are many people who do this all the time. I just don't always see it through the few squeaky wheels.

I am beginning the New Year reassured that God is a work in the church I have been call to serve - in spit of all we try to do to get in the way of God's purpose.

Praying to the "Bab'a Jesus"

One of my favorite scenes in Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby is the scene at the dinner table where Ricky Bobby is saying grace to the "Bab'a Jesus." He spends most of the time, before he gets to his request list, talking about the characteristics of a baby. His fingers and toes, his hair, his cuteness. I laughed out loud at the absurdness of the prayer but also I have been at tables where I have wanted to laugh at similar things prayed, I am sure others have felt the same way about my praying.

Later as I reflected on that scene it occurred to me there was another reason for my laughter. It had to do with the human need to try to control God. From the Tower of Babel to our insistence that we control the limits of God's salvation and who God "Saves."

You see, it is easy to control a baby, particularly new borns. We can pick them up and take them where we want them to go. We can show them off and have people say how cute they are. We can put them to bed and go about life without a whole lot of inconvenience. We can determine if they live or die, if we decide to feed them or not.

The only thing they can really do to us is annoy us with crying and bodily emissions. Even those things, if we are cold hearted enough, can be ignored.

Jesus on the cross is hard for us to pick up and carry. The wounded Christ is not so cute. We can put Jesus in the tomb but we can not keep him there, he will get up and find us in our locked rooms.

The baby Jesus may appear easily controlled, but not the risen Christ.

No Just With Jesus

While en route from city A to city B during last week's travel experience. I came across a group of folk praying. They were a group of twenty or so travelers. I often feel a little uncomfortable when I come across groups such as this one because I feel like I am intruding.

You see, my understanding of pray (this not my exhaustive understanding but I would need a lifetime to communicate a full understanding of prayer) to put it too simply is that prayer is how a person or a community attempts to become consciously oriented to God's will.

What prayer is not, is humanity trying to convince God that they have been faithful enough for God to do what they want. It also is not minimizing God's works by minimizing our gratitude to God's mighty acts. For example "Jesus I just want to ..." being self-deprecating in public pray minimizes God creation (the prayer.) Remember God does not make junk. From my point of view it should be "Jesus I want to..." There is no Just with Jesus! Our response to God in our life should be as complete as God gift to us.

All that said. As I paused at the edge of this group in the space between the gate I arrived at and the gate I need to get to, and need I say, without any other route to get there. I was not alone in my blockage I could feel the mixture of frustration, anger and awkwardness (mixed with a little bit of GUILT) in the non-praying travelers surrounding me.

I could tell this group had just gotten off a plane. I could not tell if they were thankful for safe arrival or worried about the next leg of their trip. You see I was trying not to listen, not to intrude in their prayer. While at the same time trying to figure out how to get past them as to not miss my plane.

Here are my tips when praying in airports:

1. Do not block passage ways, your prayer might be interrupted by angry agnostics.
2. Do not remind the bystanders in your pray of a recent plane accidents at the airport and that the if it was God's will the next plane taking off will have the results.
3. Amens do not need to be shouted as to echo in vaulted terminal.