Claiming Our Identity in Christ

I have a theory - or maybe more of an observation - that just as people are gifted in different ways, so are congregations. We all know people who are highly gifted - musically, athletically, intellectually, artistically - and some are simply gifted at being with and among people - bringing out their best. In the Church we believe that everyone is gifted - by God - for service in God's world. We all have skills, interests, passions, and experiences that make us unique people. When we find, claim, and use our gifts, we thrive. It's like an steam locomotive running perfectly at full throttle. The energy and joy we experience when we are operating out of our gifts allow us to keep giving, over and over again, seemingly forever.

What if it is the same for congregations? What if we are not meant to be all the same? What if we are uniquely gifted for specific ministries? Of course, gifts don't excuse us from doing the basics well. Even the most talented pianist must still learn how to balance a check book! But if the theory holds, every congregation is gifted and called to do some things extraordinarily well. Finding out what those gifts are can mean functioning at full throttle under the energy of the Holy Spirit. Denying those gifts or using them meekly could mean struggling to survive and failing to live up to all God means for us to be.

If you understand what I'm trying to say, and you think it has some merit, let me ask you:

• Can you name and describe congregations you have experienced who were living out of their gifts? 
• How did they discover and claim them? 
• Do they involve everyone in the congregation? 
• What difference does it make for their life and vitality? 
• What are the gifts of Seneca Presbyterian Church that we should claim and nurture?

I'm working on a sermon series that articulates the gifts I see at SPC. Help me shape it with your reflections and stories!

Chipping Some New Stones off the Old Rock

It's a new year and time to get back to old routines - like posting some ideas to help me ponder preaching this week. I'm looking forward to a new year tradition - the ordination and installation of new Ruling Elders, Deacons, and Trustee. As their Teaching Elder (notice my careful use of the "new" language for officers in the PC-USA), it has been an honor and privilege to work with them as they prepare for their term of service. As Presbyterians, we do have a remarkable tradition. Our elders and deacons serve alongside clergy with equal authority and responsibility for governing, supporting, praying, dreaming, and seeking God's will and direction for each congregation. Our services of ordination and installation exemplify how seriously we take that tradition - and they are holy moments. 

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." 

Those are remarkable words spoken by Jesus to Peter - and they are the text for Sunday. As I ponder them, I am drawn to the amazing work of those first disciples who built the Church - and all those churches - in a world that had no idea what they were doing or building. I'm also pondering how similar is the challenge we face today in building the Church. 

The Church has been the center of my life basically all my life. It's a part of me. When I hear bigoted remarks spoken in the name of faith or learn of yet another scandal that chips away at the world's perception of the Church, I can easily say, "That's not the Church I know." But what of those who do not know? When those who stand outside the Church and outside faith hear of yet another misguided prediction of the "end of the world," they can't or won't distinguish between us and them. We are all part of that body of belief called "Christian." 

So ponder with me:

• How do we proclaim a Gospel of inclusion and justice when too many portray our faith as exclusion and judgment? 
• What perceptions of the Church do you encounter in your lives from people who live outside our faith? 
• How does the work and witness of the Church move forward into a world that is more and more "not-Christian," and not afraid to say it?