I've been working with this Romans text for preaching Sunday when it suddenly hit me: part of my deep anxiety about the church's decision is that I have it in my mind that there is ONE right answer to our dilemma. I've been operating on the premise that if we fail to discern this one right answer and act on it, we will have failed some cosmic test and divine remonstrance will be in store for us all.
But-- all things works together for good for those who love him and are called according to divine purpose . . .
What if this means that, in difficult and complex situations like this there are any number of ways that God can work God's purpose out. We need to be faithful in trying to discern God's word to us in any given situation, but God's purpose is not dependent upon us "getting it right". This isn't like the Monty Python scene where you misguess the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow and you're thrown off a cliff. This isn't like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone where one wrong move in a game of Wizard's chess means Voldemort wins.
Maybe the decision to close the church is totally the wrong decision: God will still be at work. Maybe we'll decide to try to hang on and fight back when we should realize that our work is done and step aside for something new to happen here. God will still be at work. Maybe the truth is: we can't get this wrong because in Christ all things work together for good for God's people. God's not going to cut us off if our discernment process falters. Nothing, not even a questionable decision on a complex dilemma, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
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6 comments:
Amen, sister. Amen.
I like the idea of "interwoven" -- all things are interwoven together for the good for those who love God....
I'm on a Commission asked to close a church and we said "NO". We think we can help this church and we are ready to work for them.
You never know what the Spirit will do.
Preach it sister! Amen!
oh, and I adore Monty Python....:)
YES :-)
I pray too, that whatever decision is made feels comfortable for all of you involved. Blessings
What a wonderful post; thanks for sharing it. I regularly drive myself crazy trying to figure out the one right choice, when of course that's merely imposing my limited sense of options on to situations. I'll come back and reread this post again in the future!
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