Sabbath...

Over the last few days there has been an interesting conversation happening about time and days off and stuff (Chris and Greg both wrote great blogs about this!) but I haven't joined in the conversation until today. This afternoon in my Old Testament class we began to have a discussion about Sabbath. I admit, that while I need to start good habits of sabbath keeping while I'm in seminary, I don't. Beth forces me to take a day off each week from church, but unfortunately I have to do school work all day, so I rarely (if ever) take a full day off during the week. That's ok with me...I like my job, I love my students, I work with my wife and we find time to be together and hang out with our friends who are life-giving. So, when Dr. Richter began to discuss Sabbath I was interested, although a little frustrated, as lately the idea of Sabbath has become more of an inconvience because I've got stuff to do. Then Dr. Richter began to talk about Sabbath from the standpoint of an ancient Israelite. For generations, the people knew nothing over than slavery. They had been beaten and bruised and the only value that they had in society was what they could do. They had watched their sons killed, they had made bricks and more bricks and more bricks. Life was about survival, not thriving. If you made it to 40, you were lucky. And so, standing in the desert, God offers the people the best thing he can...rest. A day to just be who they are and be with God. Sabbath wasn't an inconvience...it was a life changing gift.

As we frantically tried to write this all down, suddenly Dr. Richter told us to stop and asked us to hear this quote. It spoke deeply to me and it might to you as well.
"Now, what is the meaning of the sabbath that was given to Israel? It relativizes the works of mankind, the contents of the six working days. It protects mankind from total absorption by the task of subduing the earth, it anticipates the distortion which makes work the sum and purpose of human life, and it informs mankind that he will not fulfill his humanity in his relation to the world which he is transforming but only when he raises his eyes above, in the blessed, holy hour of communion with the Creator. With this meaning it would be no exaggeration to state that the sabbath sums up the difference between the biblical and Marxist visions.
The essence of mankind is not work!"
Henri Blocher. (Emphasis mine.)

So, what does this say to us? What does it say to me amid by 12 hour Sundays and reading Mondays? The essence of life is not work, but communion with God. Sabbath wasn't an inconvience; it was (and IS) a gift!

May we never forget the blessings that our God gives...the blessing NOT to work! The blessing that we are more than what we can do...We are defined by our Sabbath...by our communion with God.

Lies and Statistics

Peter Gammons (who I consider to be the best baseball writer EVER!!) writes a column for ESPN.com and has a section called "Lies, $#^% Lies, and Statistics." Every week he picks out the most misleading number of the week...Pitching Lines, Boxscores, etc and shows how they just don't fit. The more ministry I do, the more I realize how Gammons has it figured out. Numbers mean nothing. Seriously...numbers mean nothing, yet at the same time, many people think that they mean everything!! I'm still trying to figure this out...

I trace attendance at Youth Group every week, mainly to follow up with students who have missed several weeks in a row. I try not to put too much stock in these numbers, but it's often difficult. See, normally we see 50ish students on Sunday and 30ish students on Wednesdays. Although these numbers are solid, I'm not happy with our Wednesday night programming. We haven't been able to get into a groove on Wednesday nights. I believe that we need to turn Wednesdays into a night committed to discipleship (Bible Study, possibly Youth Disciple, Student Leadership Team meetings, etc), but I'm very well aware that when we do this, our numbers will bottom out. About two months ago we tried to go to Bible Studies on Wednesdays and our numbers bottomed out, so we're trying something new, although I feel like we're just biding time. So, we need a change. A change that'll hurt by average attendance numbers

So we'll change (slowly! I'll develop some cirriculum, get my adults on board, pitch the idea to my student leaders, etc) but it'll be hard. It'll be hard to explain to my SPRC and Ad Min Board why my numbers drop. It'll be tough for our SPRC Chair, who has spent her whole life in successful business, that what we're doing is NOT about numbers. It'll be tough to learn how to measure disciplehip. How do you do that anyway? I do we measure that which is a work of the Holy Spirit? How do we measure the way that students become more like Jesus? See, I don't think numbers will do it...

Lies, Lies and Statistics...

My Theological Worldview

I copied this from Keith. I'm a little suprised that I scored more Emergent/Postmodern. In the past, I've scored high Wesleyan/Evangelical (which was still second)...I wonder if working with High School students has pushed me this way....

Hmm...

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern. You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this. Emergent/Postmodern 86% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 75% Neo orthodox 71% Reformed Evangelical 71% Fundamentalist 46% Charismatic/Pentecostal 43% Classical Liberal 39% Roman Catholic 36% Modern Liberal 21% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

A New Ministry Perspective OR Litourgia

Beth and I have two couples who have become some of our best friends. Adam and Diane are both teachers, and they're great at what they do. Bill is a pharmacist (anyone who has a Doctoral degree when they're 24 makes me sick) and Amanda works in the Insurance industry. In recent conversations with these friends, I've realized that they all desire to be in ministry, and they desire to know what it looks like them for at their jobs to do ministry, but very rarely do we discuss what it means to be a Christian pharmacist or a Christian 3rd grade teacher. So, here's my question...What would happen if I sat down with Adam and Diane and Bill and Amanda and asked this question "What can the church do to support you in your ministry at your workplace?" Frankly, I think that this question changes many things....
First, when we ask this question, we name the work of the Holy Spirit that we see at work in others. When we name the work of God in others we empower them to see their gifts and realize what God is doing in their lives...we help them realize that they have an important role and place in the life of the church.
Second, when we ask this question, we empower lay people. Suddenly, clergy aren't the only ministers...EVERYONE is a minister, everyone has a role and a place in establishing the Gospel story in the world. Responsibility no longer lies at the feet of clergy...It enhances and empowers the Priesthood of all believers!
Finally, asking a question like this shifts the vision and perspective of the church. Suddenly, our work becomes outward focused...we're not just focused on what happens inside our walls, but we're working in the world. Suddenly the world doesn't have to come through our doors; we send people into the world, into the places where they've been called and work. We realize that God is calling us to the world, not calling the world to us.

I wonder what answers would be...maybe they wouldn't change anything, but maybe we would. I think that one of the most important things, though, is that we send people, empowered to do the litourgia...the work of the people in the world.