"What you were called to do," part 2

Continuing from my last post - about the blog post I read the other day that said... "You won't be judged on what you did - you will be judged on what you were called to do."

The second point that caught me was, about thinking too small - or not stepping into me fully enough to allow God to use all of me. He says, "I won't be judged on my results, but on my capacity, and my faithfulness to fulfill the divine assignment God has purposed just for me."

How often am I too afraid to step out into the light - to fully embrace what God is calling me to do (no God, surely you aren't asking me to do that!)? Marianne Williamson once said (although it may not have originated from her) that what we are most afraid of is the light within. We are most afraid that we will be wonderful and great. We are more afraid of the light than of the dark.

I won't be judged on my results, but on my capacity... How often am I not open to fully embracing what God has called me to do? More often than I'd like to admit! So what do I do about it... prayer and continuing to seek a deeper relationship with God, for starters.

What about you? Do you agree with this? And if so, do you find it difficult to live to your fullest capacity and live faithful to God's calling? What do you do about it?

Not 'what you did', but 'what you were called to do'

Another great post I read the other day said... "You won't be judged on what you did - you will be judged on what you were called to do."

He makes two points that I'd like to look at closer... The first is - not being judged on comparison. How often I find myself comparing myself with some else - and coming up on the short end of the stick! It's all too easy to fall into this trap. I remember the Jewish story of Rabbi Zeusa (sorry for mispelling!) where the Rabbi says, "When I stand before God, God won't ask me why I wasn't a better Moses. God will ask me why I wasn't a better Zeusa." God has created each of us to be distinct. Why is that so difficult for me (perhaps all of us?) to celebrate? Why do I find myself checking myself against others, even for sme of the craziest, simplest things?

Is this true for you? What do you find works for you when this happens? What snaps you out of it?

Off to General Assembly

I'm off to General Assembly Saturday. I'm looking forward to going. I haven't been to Assembly since Cincinnati, at least 6 years ago. The worship was the most power part of the experience for me. Taking communion every evening with 6,000 to 8,000 people was an awesome experience!

The Song of Myself

I read a great blog the other day at Real Live Preacher about singing the song of yourself. (It is definitely worth a read.) And it got me thinking...

What would it take to sing the song of myself? and What would it cost me? he asks... This post resonated with me, in part, because I believe that we each have truth to share - but we need to do the necessary work of knowing ourselves in order to understand what that truth is. I believe we come to know ourselves better as we come to know God better, as we deepen our relationship with God. And it is through the confidence of that knowledge and the depth of that relationship that I might find the courage to actually sing the song of myself. For it does take courage, because in sharing the truth as I have come to understand it lies great vulnerability. Whether others understand or not that this is what I am doing, I know that I am making public my truest self - and that calls for risk in so many ways, not least of which is the possibility of finding myself alone. Ah, but to risk it - to dare to sing the song of myself, to share my truth is to feel, even for a fraction of a second, that I am walking the path I have been called to walk. It is to know with certainty that the vibrations of the world sing and pulse in a harmony beyond anything humanity could dream of creating alone.

Perhaps one day I will hear the song clearly enough to sing it for you. Perhaps one day you will sing it for me. ...Until then, maybe we can walk together listening for the soft humming that we may find in the silent spaces.

Happy 50th!

My husband turned 50 today! I find it hard to believe. We went to dinner tonight with some family and friends. It was a great time.

A friend and I went shopping today and saw a card that said, "if you didn't know when you were born, how old do you think you are?" I love that question. Not how old am I, but how old do I think, feel, act? I'd have to say somewhere in my late 20's or early 30's - which I left behind a long time ago! What about you?

Making the Message Relevant

I have been thinking and praying a lot about how to make the gospel message relevant for this world we find ourselves in – you may have noticed that from my last sermons… The message of God’s love for and intimate involvement with humanity is vast and unchanging. But I am aware that the language we use to tell others about it, and the way that it is expressed in our lives does change. So how do we see today’s happenings, the events of our lives in the ancient stories? What language do we use to connect God’s truth of life with our lives?

Last year in one of the classes I took in seminary, I helped plan a worship service that aimed to connect to people who were new to the church. A service that had to assume that most of the people attending did not understand the jargon used in most churches. My task was to prepare the communion meditation. It was difficult to explain the significance of the Last Supper, disciples, bread, cup, salvation… without using words that we’ve “always” used. I found that I had to re-write the meditation several times. That exercise has helped me be a little more aware of what I say and how I say it. Liturgy is wonderful, but only when it holds meaning for the people participating.

What holds meaning for you in worship? How do the ancient stories, the history of God’s involvement in the lives of people – how do these things connect to you today? How do you share with other people your understanding of the truth of God’s love? I’d love to hear about it.

The Little Blue Cards or Experiences to Nurture Faith

A few Sunday's ago during our worship service, I asked folks to reflect on where God is calling you to grow and learn in faith - and then to share with me what types of 'educational' experiences will help you nurture and deepen your faith. These are 'educational' experiences in the sense that when we are aware of what helps us grow and we seek out those things in order to help that happen, then they are intentional 'educational' experiences. I wasn't seeking simply specific types of study or books - although that can be what helps us grow at certain points in our journey. I was seeking any reflections you wished to share. I was pleased that most folks did this, because we are each created differently and it helps me to understand and connect better. So - Thank you! for sharing. If you weren't able to be in worship or simply didn't have enough time to reflect and write, please feel free to reply to this post, or send me an email letting me know your thoughts.

I thought you might like a summary of what I heard: Some comments were pointed and helpful - things that we are not offering that can easily be 'fixed' - like making sure we have fully staffed kids' classes beginning with pre-K, or offering kids' options and not just childcare in conjunction with adult events. There seems to be some interest in a 'self-paced' or on-line option for study and community forming. There were many comments related to creating experiences where we would have the opportunity to learn from one another's experiences - sharing our faith walks. There is interest in learning how to be better parents, partners and spouses, financial stewards, and friends. There is interest in deepening faith through serving others - both through our current ministries and through other ministry in our local community. There is interest in learning how to better share our faith with others, and learning about other faith traditions and how we are different and how we are the same.

In some ways the responses are as varied as we are. In other ways, the responses all say 'I'd like to learn about making sense of the happenings of life' - there are simply different ways that work better for us at different times of our lives. Yes, I knew that - but it was helpful to be reminded of both the variety and the commonality.

I had lunch with a friend yesterday and she shared that one way she is seeking to deepen her relationship with God is through deepening her relationship with others. Jesus taught that our relationship with God was reflected in how we relate to others. Trying, as much as possible, to see the image of God in other people is something that we can all do (in all situations, and at all times) to deepen and nurture our faith. It can help us come to understand God better, and understand other people better.

Thanks, again, for sharing your thoughts. They will be helpful to me over the next few weeks as we prepare for our 'fall start up' at the end of August. ...And please feel free to keep the ideas coming!