Are you the kind of person who needs routine, for life to be structured and ordered in such a way that you know what to expect, with no surprises? When I began teaching four-year-olds, I learned that routine was important because it gave the children a sense of security and safety, which then allowed for maximum learning to take place. So it meant starting the day the same way every day: greeting at the door, pledge of allegiance, a song, reciting poems, talking about the daily news. Then new lessons began.
Maybe our Christian journey of faith has some similarities. We attend worship, sing songs, read scripture listen to a sermon, hear the benediction, share fellowship hour, and leave ready to practice faithful living as Jesus taught . Routine is comforting. In fact, another name for the season of Epiphany, which occurs from January 6th until Ash Wednesday, is Ordinary Time. But within this Ordinary Time, are we making time for the “new lessons” to take place? Educating my students would have come to a standstill if I only relied on the daily routine to set the stage and then did nothing else. Likewise, to grow in our Christian walk requires that we look beyond the “routines” with new eyes, daily seeking where God is calling us to stretch, to grow, to learn, to bring the life of the Gospel to this sometimes chaotic world in a way that is transforming.
During the latter half of 2011, I was sensing the call of God to leave something familiar, something I really loved and felt blessed in doing: being the chair of the Missions Ministries Team. I can remember years ago Pastor Peter inviting me to consider this position, and I answered without hesitation because it was truly a ministry area that was in my heart to lead. But as I began to realize that new leadership was perhaps what the church needed, I informed Pastor Emily that the time had come to be looking for a new chairperson. While I still plan to be involved with missions, there was an emptiness in not knowing what I should be doing next.
Little did I suspect that Derek would soon be talking to me about the possibility of serving as EMC Chair/Lay Leader/ Member to Annual Conference. Holy smokes! I thought, those are huge shoes to fill! I began to pray and discern if this was indeed what God intended for me to do. It took a while to get over the initial fear (yes fear!) of doing something so different, but I began to look at it as an opportunity to grow, to stretch myself, and to offer my service to God and the church in a new, rather unexpected way. I know there is a great deal to learn, and I invite you all to pray for both Steve and me as we venture into new territory.
Today we celebrate Laity Sunday. You and I are the laity, the church, the body of Jesus Christ, whom we publicly proclaimed as our Lord and Savior at our baptism. We are daily being called by God to be God’s hands and feet and voice in the church and in the world. And sometimes that call comes in a way that may seem uncomfortable, implausible, or even impossible. But God knows us even better than we know ourselves, and God longs for us to stretch and grow, perhaps in ways quite different from the “ordinary”. In this continuing season of Epiphany, I invite you to intentionally look for ways to BE the church, to offer yourself and your gifts in service, perhaps trying something new in the midst of your ordinary routine. Shalom and God bless.