Daily Devotions
New devotions are posted Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Keep Our Doors Open
Today’s author is Prince of Peace’s Intentional Interim, Pastor Steve Sylvester.
As I stand in the pastor’s study here at Prince of Peace on Wednesday morning, I am hearing the “squeak, squeak, squeak” of tricycle wheels on the gym floor across the hallway. Along with the squeaky wheels in need of grease there are excited yelps, background chatter and the occasional sleep deprived squall. In order to hear all of this, and to see the “So good to see you again!” drop offs and the “Did you have fun today?” pick ups, I keep my door open.
Considering that I am actually working—reading and writing emails, studying Scripture in preparation for writing my sermon tomorrow, etc.—it’s fair to ask why I would invite these distractions. My answer is that they are not distractions. They are not distractions because I am listening to God, and most of the time, listening to God means paying special attention to the simple realities of everyday life.
As I listen to God through the interactions across the hallway, I am reminded—no, I am put on notice—that the decisions I make must be more about those children than about myself. Seventh Generation decisions would, of course, be ideal, but at the very least I need to act on behalf of the children two generations behind me who are already here.
This kind of listening and acting doesn’t come naturally for congregations. For example, a church I served in the past paid for the “Pastor for Senior Ministries” out of the general budget, but the salary of the Director of Confirmation Ministry was mostly offset by fees paid by parents. This “pay for what you need” model of support made perfect sense in the context of our consumer economy, but it did not make sense if one took the time actually to listen to God.
Am I passive-aggressively saying something here to the good people of Prince of Peace? No. I’m from Missouri, so if I have something to say to you, I’ll say it to you directly. What I will say directly is that it is well for us to remember to keep our doors and our ears open.
Previously…
God’s Work. Our Hands.
This past Sunday the theme was “God’s Work, Our Hands”, and we had a reflection and thanks from the Youth Group’s trip to Colorado. On the surface “God’s Work, Our Hands” seems like a pretty easy chore, but is it really?
There are so many questions that arise when I think about trying to do God’s work.
Back at the Beginning
There are lots of board games where players may find themselves going back to the beginning or starting point during the course of the game. This mechanic is often used to create tension, add strategy, or increase the overall challenge. Have you ever played Sorry!, Chutes & Ladders, Candyland, or The Game of Life? That last one fittingly names a reality with which we all can identify, sometimes life just takes you back to the beginning where you have to start all over again.
Promise & Possibility
Over the course of the last few weeks, a small trickle has grown into a gushing current. It has acted much like the rising waters of a flood. Fortunately, also like the behavior of a flood, it seems to have crested in the last few days. Thankfully, unlike a flood, this deluge is filled with considerably more delight. I’m talking of course of the near complete takeover of our social media news feeds with first-day-of-the-new-school-year photographs.
More than Enough
Do you like Jeopardy? Trivial Pursuit? Knowledge Bowl? If so, here’s a question especially for you: Which one of the following miracles of Jesus appears in all four Gospels?