union avenue christian church |
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So Much Commotion Matthew 9:9 – 13, 18 – 26; Genesis 12:1 – 9 Quadrennial Assemblies for women of the church have been the best events Disciples have put on. For years they were held at Purdue University, where 10,000 women would gather for an entire week of study, worship and the building of amazing friendships within this denomination. I started attending Quadrennial with my mother when I was a teenager. When I was 29 years old, I was asked to write and help lead all the worship services for the upcoming Quadrennial. Clearly this was the largest and most important task of my young professional life. Developing liturgies – knowing that creative dancers and wonderful music would be set to my work (in one of the most incredible music halls in the Midwest) was awesome and daunting. I am sure resources were not unlimited – but they seemed to be. It was a peak time for me and my ego! The first draft of all my work was to be presented at a meeting in the middle of September 1977. And then came holy commotion and a sacred interruption. My son was born September 6, 1977. I recall being VERY pregnant and trying to concentrate on putting the last pieces of work into the draft, and then doing the balancing act the first days after his birth — caring and loving him into life, wondering if there would ever be such a thing as a full night’s sleep. And yes, remembering that these worship services were due, I would have to travel across the country for a presentation. It was all completed — or the most important parts…as they usually do. The next summer — on the morning of the opening Quadrennial Assembly — my husband had open-heart surgery. So I did receive a good report about those worship services even though they were no longer central to my life’s focus. The interruptions in my life certainly helped my humility and helped me sort my values. Life does happen…in spite of interruptions. Or is it that life really happens because of interruptions?! Life is full of not only interruptions but also commotion. Raising children, running a business, living in a community are all multi-task functions. No one can survive without the ability to deal with some bit of chaos — and flexibility with an agenda. The Board of Union Avenue Christian Church is preparing to go on a half-day retreat this month to begin the process of organizing the leadership functions for our congregation. In working less than a year with this Board, I have already become spoiled. Our Board is the most efficient Board on which I have ever served. Much is expected from each of us — in terms of reporting — but the level of respect for each other’s time is very high, and we don’t waste it in Board meetings. When we organize ourselves this well — whether it be Boards, families, businesses — the organization is not the end product. The organization is the means to get things done — whatever it is we are about — so we are more able to deal with the inevitable commotion and interruptions that are of high value to our ministry. Without the organization — all would be chaos…all would be tumultuous — and nothing would get done! We have to wonder how Jesus did his ministry organizationally. The only true businessman he chose to be among the 12 disciples was Matthew — a choice for which he was highly criticized. Thus begins today’s scripture. Let’s review all the activity in these 12 verses.
(Let’s stop here: can you imagine what the father of the little girl was thinking now? Jesus, how can you think about stopping to figure out who touched you when my daughter is in desperate need of you)
I think we are only talking about a few hours here – what a lot of activity! So much commotion…an overload of interruptions! Do you wonder what Jesus had on his calendar/palm pilot for the day? How did he respond to it all? First of all, Jesus doesn’t have my ego problem. He didn’t need holy interruptions to remind him of true values or to square his humility. Jesus responded to the commotion of his critics and to the revelers at the girl's house with an appropriate and curt rebuke to ‘go away.’ To the man who needed him to touch his daughter, to the daughter herself, to the woman who had been sick for 12 years, to the tax collectors and sinners who needed affirmation by sharing a meal, and to the future disciple who needed to be called into service Jesus gave himself to every one of those interruptions — every bit of that commotion…every part of that wondrous ministry None of these interruptions was minimal. All of these folks truly needed Jesus. They each needed the power and presence of Jesus Christ — the power and presence of God — to touch, heal and redeem them. How did he know that he could go from one to the other? How did he know that the tax collectors would be all right when he abruptly left the dinner table? How did he know that the little girl could wait for a mid-flight healing of the older woman??? Henri Nouwen — the great Dutch Roman Catholic priest, teacher and writer — includes a legend from the Talmud in his book, The Wounded Healer. (1979. New York: Doubleday, p. 81) The Rabbi “asked Elijah, ‘When will the Messiah come?’ Elijah replied, ‘Go and ask him yourself.’ ‘Where is he?’ ‘Sitting at the gates of the city.’ ‘How shall I know him?’ ‘He is sitting among the poor covered with wounds. The others unbind all their wounds at the same time and then bind them up again. But he unbinds one at a time and binds it up again, saying to himself, ‘perhaps I shall be needed: if so I must always be ready so as not to delay for a moment.’” Not only will we find Jesus Christ among the poor and oppressed, but we will find him ready — always ready to be called upon, ready to serve, ready to heal. Would we want any other kind of God? Would we want any other kind of saving presence in our lives except that which is ready to be interrupted with our needs and every need of this world. As the church — the living body of Jesus Christ — we are called into no less than that type of servanthood. We must be ready to be interrupted, ready to meet the commotion of life’s needs, ready to respond to whatever comes to us. We get practice in our families. We get practice in our businesses. We live it out fully — this call to servanthood — as the church responds to the needs of those outside these walls. Tuesday, my holy interrupter (Christopher – my son) called, interrupting me from a meeting. He was leaving the parking lot of the airport because he had put his fiancé on a plane for Russia – where she will be for a month. They have not been separated so long — ever — and his heart was breaking. Grateful was I that my cell phone was on and that I allowed myself — even a moment — to be interrupted. Grateful am I that God’s cell phone is on — constantly — and we never get voice mail…we get the real thing. May we learn from Jesus Christ how we can respond, must respond, will respond to the needs of life that interrupt our agendas, our plans, our designs for the day, the week…our lives. As the church may we be ready — available, listening and caring. Holy commotion and sacred interruptions are the essence of our ministry. It is when we meet the real needs of God’s people. SW |
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