Last Sunday, a group of BPC members met to discuss our congregation and its many gifts. This was part of the Mission Study process that we have embarked upon as a way of assessing the current and future ministry of Bedford Presbyterian Church.
And the question was asked, “In the last few years, what moment stands out as being an example of our congregation at its best?” We went around the table, talking about a lot of things, but a few of these things were (in no particular order):
- Being a place where the whole community can gather together to celebrate and/or grieve.
- Welcoming the Safi Family in 2021 and continuing to support them.
- Starting our livestream of the worship services.
- Becoming more welcoming of the LGBTQ+ community.
Again, these were just a few of the things that we mentioned around the table, but then someone said:
“It was 20 years ago, but when the church sent the first work crew down to Louisiana in response to Hurricane Katrina. Before that time, we used to just send money but ever since then, we have sent people.”
This moment in the life of our congregation – the moment that we started sending people – marked a change, a switch from one way to another way. Even though it took place before my time at BPC, when I have told people about this switch, they have been fascinated. “What brought it about?” All I can really say in reply is, “It must have been the Holy Spirit at work.”
You may have heard me say that, in the Celtic Christian tradition, the Holy Spirit is sometimes described as a wild goose, in that “you don’t know where it comes from or where it’s going, but it can leave a mess.”
As I reflect on “our congregation at its best,” the things that really come to mind are when people are moved to get their hands messy in the best possible ways – to become the hands and feet of Jesus in the world. Of course, getting one’s hands messy on a Matthew 25 Team (formerly known as “Mission Team”), or serving on a church committee, or teaching Sunday School, or serving in the Nursery, or giving of yourself in other ways is a risky thing to do. If we get our hands messy in service to God, we might just be opening our hearts and minds to be changed by the Holy Spirit.
Ask anyone who has ever served on a Matthew 25 Team or on the Neighborhood Support Team for the Safis and they will tell you how their lives have been changed by getting messy – sometimes, literally messy with dust and dirt or diapers, but oftentimes messy because they have seen the mess caused by systemic poverty and the immigration system (just to name two very messy and complicated problems du jour in the present moment) and they have had their hearts broken by the messy trouble of others and it has made them more compassionate for those who suffer and more passionate about trying to fix big problems, with God’s help.
Now, everyone is not equipped to try to fix every big problem. And, there are times when each of us will be invited to get our hands dirty (in the best possible way with the best possible intentions) but the messiness of it all is just too much or we might not want to get involved for other reasons. . . personal, political, or otherwise.
Do the world’s big problems – war, hunger, poverty, immigration, the environment – really need our own personal involvement? Do we want or need to get our hands messy?
Sometimes, the solutions to big structural problems like these are only thought of in partisan terms, but in so many ways they aren’t just partisan problems. They are spiritual and moral problems with spiritual and moral solutions for those with the patience and fortitude to see things through. Becoming the hands and feet of Jesus can lead to all kinds of messiness and complications. Thankfully, we do not enter into this ministry by ourselves. We have the many gifts and skills and talents of the church – along with the energy, intelligence, imagination, and love of the Holy Spirit.
I am so thankful for and proud of who you are, Bedford Presbyterian Church, and am looking forward to where the Spirit is leading, enlivening, and blessing us. It might get messy, but may God bless this mess.
See you in church!
Grace and Peace,
John
Prepare for Worship
This Week: “If The Way Be Clear. . .” (The Good News is. . . Alive in the World)
Read Psalm 23
Read Ezekiel 34:1-15
Read John 10:1-11
Read or sing Hymn # 171 “The King Of Love My Shepherd Is”
Attachments area
Preview YouTube video The King Of Love My Shepherd Is (Hymn 171)Preview YouTube video The King Of Love My Shepherd Is (Hymn 171)