Greetings from Grand Rapids

Greetings from Grand Rapids

Currently Humble Leadership: Being Radically Open to God's Guidance and Grace By N. Graham Standish see related

I used this quote from Bonhoeffer's Life Together in a sermon this morning and wanted to share it with you.  It think it's very powerful. 

“Innumerable times a whole Christian community has broken down because it had sprung from a wish dream.  The serious Christian, set down for the very time in a Christian community, is likely to bring with him a very definite idea of what Christian life together should be and to try to realize it.  But God’s grace speedily shatters such dreams.  Just as surely as God desires to lead us to a knowledge of genuine Christian fellowship, so surely must we be overwhelmed by a great disillusionment with others, with Christians in general, and, if we are fortunate, with ourselves.  By sheer grace, God will not permit us to live even for a brief period in a dream world.”

I invite you to think about what this means to you in regard to our culture and community and our understanding of what it means to be Christ's disciple.

Lenten Blessings,

Marja

Currently Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community By Dietrich Bonhoeffer see related

Where's Your Community?

For Lent this year, I have undertaken to read Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book, Living Together.  I'm only a few pages into it, but already he has raised an interesting point that I think is worth considering.  Boiling it down, I think what Bonhoeffer is saying is that if we understood what it is like to be a prisoner, to be in exile [voluntarily or not voluntarily] or to be isolated by illness, then we would never again take for granted the community that is afforded us.  And who would know about this better than Bonhoeffer, whose life ended in a concentration camp.

Perhaps then, the first discipline of Lent for me this year will be to reflect on the preciousness of the community of the Church.  Working with congregations day in and day out, expecially when they are in trouble or in crisis, tends to make me forget how precious these communities are.  They are trying to be disciples of Christ by their best lights.  They fail, of course.  I fail.  We all fail at being the disciples that Christ would have us be.

But Bonhoeffer's reminder is that, for the exile, the simple appearance and briefest prayer of a brother or sister is enough to work a small miracle of hope in one's life.  I am not in exile, but I can choose to live as though every single Christian brother or sister is a gift from God.  It won't be easy.  But then what discipline is?  So I lift you up, because if you are reading this you are part of my community. Be blessed this Lenten season by your community.  And be a blessing to someone else as well. 

Peace and grace,

Marja

Currently Unbinding the Gospel, 2nd Edition (Church Leaders' Study in the Real Life Evangelism Series) By Martha Grace Reese see related

Arghh!  I've failed in my resolution to post much more often than I have.  What can I say?  We've been closing the books, and getting ready for our Midwinter Convocation.  Convocation is over now.  Our speaker was Paul Nickerson, our congregational vitality consultant, and he introduced all of us to many of the concepts from Unbinding the Gospel, by Martha Grace Reese.  His presentations were well received, and he evoked a lot of good discussion in our midst. 

We're about to receive applications for our second class of Road to Vitality congregations.  Each congregation that is selected will form a team, with pastor and about six lay leaders.  They'll receive a coach to walk the journey with them, and will commit to attending retreats and other events, and forming a vitality plan for thier own congregation.  What might be possible in Penn Central Conference if we have a growing body of vital congregations?  Almost anything I think.

We're living through a scary time in our history right now.  We're in an economic mess, and there is a lot of fear, much of it justified.  I worry about retirees whose pensions are dropping precipitously.  I worry about unemployment.  Who doesn't?  But history has shown that in challenging times, the church is equal to the challenge.  We can have vital congregations no matter what the economic, political, or social upheavals that assail our world.

Those of you who know me know that I am a little bit of a Pollyanna.  I want to see the best in everything and everyone.  But I don't believe my optimism right now is naieve.  The economic crisis is hitting the Conference, and in spite of it, I believe that we can build strong congregations.  Watch us!