Category: DOC Thoughts
The Meaning of Revival
As I was reading and working on the Gospel of Mark 10:17-31 for Sacred Steps: Children’s Sermon Journal, I ran across a sermon by Bishop Will Willimon on the text. A story in his sermon caught my attention.
Today’s gospel reminds us that there are good, understandable, reasonable reasons for notfollowing Jesus. Jesus is too often presented by us, from the best of motives, as the solution to all our problems, the way to fix everything that’s wrong in our lives. But this story reminds us that Jesus is sometimes the beginning of problems we would never have had if we had not been met by Jesus!
The story is told that Clarence Jordan, that great Southern, social prophet, visited an integrated church in the Deep South. Jordan was surprised to find a relatively large church so thoroughly integrated, not only black and white but also rich and poor; and this was in the early sixties, too. Jordan asked the old country preacher, “How did you get the church this way?”
“What way?” the preacher asked. Jordan went on to explain his surprise at finding a church so integrated, and in the South, too.
The preacher said, “Well, when our preacher left our small church, I went to the deacons and said, ‘I’ll be the preacher.’ The first Sunday as preacher, I opened the book and read, ‘As many of you as has been baptized into Jesus has put on Jesus and there is no longer any Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, males or females, because you all is one in Jesus.’
Then I closed the book and I said, ‘If you are one with Jesus, you are one with all kind of folks. And if you ain’t, well, you ain’t.'”
Jordan asked what happened after that. “Well,” the preacher said, “the deacons took me into the back room and they told me they didn’t want to hear that kind of preaching no more.” Jordan asked what he did then. “I fired them deacons,” the preacher roared. “Then what happened?” asked Jordan.
“Well,” said the old hillbilly preacher, “I preached that church down to four. Not long after that, it started growing. And it grew. And I found out that revival sometimes don’t mean bringin’ people in but gettin’ people out that don’t dare to love Jesus.” (As told in Hauerwas and Willimon, Where Resident Aliens Live, Nashville: Abingdon, 1996, p. 103). Click here to read the entire sermon.
What does revival mean? I’ve been asked to preach at exactly one revival. During that sermon I spoke about the meaning of revival and if we, as a denomination, needed it. For a few years now, since before our current GMP was elected, I’ve thought we were living through the third reformation of our denomination. Some want a revival and I think reformation is needed if we are to remain a relevant voice of the good news of God. We see it happening. The rewrite of the Order of Ministry, within our denomination, that allows for ordination without a Master’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education, is what I call revival. There is honor in serving as a commissioned / licensed minister. There is a great need for persons who want to serve in one Region and one, typically small and in a rural setting, congregation. But, relaxing the Order of Ministry to provide an alternative track to ordination that does not include accredited higher education is “revival” thinking within the church. It’s trading structure for charisma. It’s blending in rather than standing out. The Regions that are ceasing to discriminate against LGBT persons in considering them for ordination are involved in reformation. Now blur the lines. What will Regions do with an LGBT person that wants to take the alternative track to ordination though they do not meet the requirements as outlined in the Order of Ministry. The fact is that many Regions are already engaged in a similar situation with persons that could and should attend seminary and complete an MDiv degree. Turning away from an educated clergy in a time of exponential change and diversity is revival thinking. What we need is reformation thinking and leadership. Revival may lift the spirit, but reformation changes the system. We need some system thinking, some overt reformation in our denomination and in our society.
“Generosity Breeds Success”
I don’t often buy a Sunday paper any more. I’ve got RSS news feeds from digital news outlets and services all over the world that provide more than enough reading each week. But, yesterday I bought our local paper, The Tulsa World, and enjoyed getting newsprint on my fingers. I suspect many continue to enjoy the touch of the paper each and make time to read the daily or weekly in their community. In the business section this headline caught my attention, “Generosity Breeds Success.” The columnists, Harvey Mackay, was writing about the author of a new book and how he has “made it” in the sports marketing and memorabilia. Two things caught my attention about the author other than the title of the book, You Gotta Have Balls. Click here to read the article.
First, the author’s favorite saying, “If you want more money, don’t pay attention to the money. Pay attention to the thing that makes the money.” I wonder how that applies to the Church and to ministry with children, youth, and young adults. And the second is like it, “focus on relationships, not transactions.” That’s pretty much what Jesus did. He focused on the people that wandered into his life or that he called because they were important rather than focusing on a salvation that may occur after death. Too much of Christendom is about the transaction of salvation, confession of faith, or baptism. Too much of ministry with children, youth, and young adults has been based on a relational model that is based on that transaction. What would a congregation look like that thought about that first saying? If you want more members, do more outreach, more children and youth, don’t pay attention to those things. Pay attention to the things, stuff, relationships, that invite members, more outreach, more children, youth, and young adults. And, for my denominations seminaries that are seeking students the same is true. Why does the Church require a well educated clergy? Because of a well educated laity. That is what reforms the Church and Christendom. I think that is what the Emergent movement may be trying to do.