A young person recently came by my office and described just how "full" his life had become. There was classes and all the attendant homework, a part-time job, and a large plate of family obligations. As he recounted all this, he commented, "It sucks to be an adult!" He then asked, "Is there always so much stuff to juggle? Is it always so stressful and overwhelming?"
I confess, at that particular moment, given my own looming to-do list, I was tempted to respond in the affirmative: "Yes! There are always a million and one things to juggle. And yes! It is always stressful and overwhelming."
As soon as the thought crossed my mind, however, I felt sad. While I am certain every last one of us can relate to the sentiment of this young person - of being overwhelmed and stressed by all that there is to do - I am also certain that every last one of us wishes it could be different, that life could be full of joy, ease, and moments to savor. We long for a pace of life that leaves us feeling whole, and enough space in our lives so that we stand in balance. Yet, I venture to guess that almost none of us know how to get there. How do we live like that? How do we move beyond the cycles of stress and overwhelm and dwell instead in the rhythms of joy and grace?
Wayne Muller, a minister, therapist, writer, and community advocate, writes in Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal and Delight in Our Busy Lives, "In the relentless busyness of modern life, we have lost the rhythm between action and rest. When action is universally prescribed as more useful than rest, we inevitably lose our way. We bypass the nourishment that would give us succour, and we reject the quiet that would give us wisdom. Poisoned by this hypnotic belief that good things come only through unceasing striving and tireless effort, we can never truly rest. And for want of rest, our lives are in danger."
Over the next 3 months, we will explore the concept of rest and renewal during worship and ask what they have to offer us as individuals and as a community. There will be two parts of this theme, "Renewal: Inside and Out." The first will explore renewal "inside", that is renewal for us as individuals. We have invited Becca Cramer, a gifted preacher and designer of worship, to be with us. She will not only make a case for renewal, but invite us into practicing different aspects of renewal in our lives: through listening to God, and through renewing the image of God in us. Burt, one of CCUMC's certified Lay Servants, will wrap up the series with a closer look at the practice of Sabbath, or holy rest.
During the second half, we will hear from a dynamic group of preachers who will crack open our imaginations to rethink what church might be all about. This is the "Out" part of our theme. They will each complete the sentence, "What if church were..." to prod us in exploring renewal as a community of faith.
I am excited for us as we embark together on this journey of renewal. I so look forward to returning in December to hear about how the Spirit has made inroads into your life and sharing the same with you. This journey of renewal is important work, and it begins with stopping for long enough - whether it be for a few hours, a few days, or even a few months - to remember who we are, what we know, and to taste the amazing gifts of Spirit and eternity. For life is far too precious to be spent getting lost in the busyness and being stressed and overwhelmed.
May God hold us close through the process of being made new, and may we find ourselves surprised by joy even as we are transformed.