Testing through Transition

When we think of Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 9 (“God loves a cheerful giver”), we usually think of money.  Of course, we all know that giving stems much farther out than just monetary wealth, and that learning to give our time and our talents is also important.  But, the passage in 2 Cor. is very distinctly referring to money, as Paul is giving instructions on collecting finances prior to his arrival.  So, what about the other ways we can give?  Try this on for size; Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase from “The Message” of Luke, chapter 17, verses 5-10:

5 The apostles came up and said to the Master, “Give us more faith.”

6 But the Master said, “You don’t need more faith. There is no ‘more’ or ‘less’ in faith. If you have a bare kernel of faith, say the size of a poppy seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Go jump in the lake,’ and it would do it.

7 “Suppose one of you has a servant who comes in from plowing the field or tending the sheep. Would you take his coat, set the table, and say, ‘Sit down and eat’?

8 Wouldn’t you be more likely to say, ‘Prepare dinner; change your clothes and wait table for me until I’ve finished my coffee; then go to the kitchen and have your supper’?

9 Does the servant get special thanks for doing what’s expected of him?

10 It’s the same with you. When you’ve done everything expected of you, be matter-of-fact and say, ‘The work is done. What we were told to do, we did.’”

I think most of you on the worship team heard the announcement Sunday morning about our senior minister, Jim Bliffen’s resignation.  For those of us that have known the Bliffens for a long time, this can be particularly difficult to accept.  For our whole church, it may take time to recover from the shock and the imminent changes that lie ahead.  It is important for us all as believers to remember that the armies of darkness will always see any and every major unanticipated change as a victory, and they will be enthusiastically hunting for the spoils of war.  That is to say, Satan will prey on the weak through this process of change and uncertainty.

So, where does that leave us, and what will we be doing or planning to do through this transition? Well, now, more than ever, God needs us for the sake of His kingdom, to be focused, committed, passionate, and ready to serve.  He needs us so engaged, that we are always able to say, “The work is done. What we were told to do, we did.”  He doesn’t need us to say, “I’ve already done so much, I can’t imagine why He would want me to do more right now.”  Or “I think I’ll just do what I want to do or what I feel like doing, because this is traumatic, and I have a lot going on in my life right now.”  Imagine what would have become of us all had Christ chosen to say the same when He walked the earth just days before choosing to do His great work on the cross and at the tomb?!?

I’m sure many of you who serve on the worship team are tired and burning out; it has been a tough year, no doubt.  As spring and then summer approach, many of you will consider taking a “breather” or taking a break; sitting on a park bench along the race track, planning to re-engage after you feel more confident about the future.  This is one perspective that I CANNOT and DO NOT recommend, since I have numerous stories of the failures of once-effective servants who went down that dark path only to find it empty and more heart-breaking.

But, the words of Christ, written above demand something different.  Vaguely reminiscent of Paul’s words about “running the race” and pursuing the “high calling,” we must look beyond our own fatigue.  We must find a way to see past our own personal agendas, fears, weaknesses, turmoil, and heartache.  Times of confusion and uncertainty are not for the faint of heart, nor for those who lack faith; to the contrary!  This is a time for the committed, the sold-out, the passionate, to be engaged, excited, invigorated … JUICED!  There may never have been a time of greater need in the history of this church to have those of authentic, godly, “child-like” faith stand up and accept the challenges put before us.

In 1986, during a “throttle up” transition, the Challenger space shuttle broke apart due to the failure of the now infamous “o-rings” in between the sections of the fuel tank.  It has since been concluded that the environmental conditions were too strenuous for those “o-rings,” and they broke apart under the strain.  One seemingly simple part of the space shuttle body led to the destruction of the entire craft over a period of 72 seconds.  Seven crew members were killed, hundreds of technicians and operators on the ground were devastated, and millions of viewers worldwide suffered unnecessary heartache all because one component gave way to the pressures of its environment.  Such is the case with the body of Christ.  If one part of the body caves to its seemingly hopeless environment, and fails to do its part, (what it has been called to do), it will very rapidly lead to catastrophic results.

Maybe you think the stresses of our current environment are greater than the potential success of our collective participation.  Maybe you’re wondering whether we will be able to know where God is going to take us next.  But who wants to know the answers to those questions?  That would negate Luke’s words in the 17^th chapter.  That would take all the fun out of it, and after all…how can you cheerfully give to something when you can’t enjoy the excitement of an unforeseen outcome?  What a bore!  So, my question is, “are you ready to go? Are you ready to pick up the pace? To shift up another gear? To be a part of something incredible and incredibly uncertain? To put ALL your chips on the table for His kingdom?”  I can’t promise you anything except that on that last and final day, we will all worship the Lord together before His throne.

How’s that for incentive?