Purpose

My friend and artist, Cheryl Harrison, created this image a number of years ago for the purpose of enhancing the worship space of a fledgling faith community through the gift of the visual arts. As pastor of that flock the image served to remind me that God has created each of us by intention with intention. This is not intended to be a mere play on words, but like the painting, a faith-statement.

To be created by intention is to believe that God is not the absentee clock-maker; not One who displays great creative prowess but holds no particular affection for the creation. To believe that God creates the ordered world, and human beings within that ordered existence, is to say something significant, about God and human beings. In short it is to believe that the intention behind the act of creation is good intention. It is to believe that God's ultimate purposes for the human family are at their heart rooted in an atmosphere of grace.

To be created with intention is to believe that God does not exist to serve our whims and wishes, but that we (humanity) exist for purposes that move well beyond self-serving. In short to be created with intention speaks of a Divine-human partnership, some might say a conspiracy, which transcends the empty quest for accumulating more, replacing this desire with purpose. Jesus speaks of this to his first followers when he says,

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and
bear fruit—fruit that will last. John 15:6a

Cheryl's painting reminds us of another passage when Jesus says to that same rag-tag band of on-again-off-again followers: "You are the light of the world." And later he says, "You are the salt of the earth." I can't help noticing that Jesus is using present tense language with the disciples. There's no hint of, "Well, one day - when you get your act together - then maybe, just maybe I will be ablde to refer to you as light without laughing about it." There is no whiff of Jesus saying, "If you keep at it - study hard - complete all your assignments then I'll see to it that you become like preserving, flavor-filled salt for an otherwise quickly-fading and spiceless creation." It's there - in black and white - Jesus said ARE, not MAY BE, NOW not sometime in the distant future.

So what's standing in the way of Jesus' declaration becoming reality? I'm afraid it may just be - ourselves. What keeps our lamps under bushels instead of visible and bright? What keeps us from bringing God's seasoning to the stew of life? The answer is somewhere in the mirror for me. The late Michael Jackson once crooned, "I'm looking at the man in the mirror.....If you want to make the world a better place take a look at yourself, and then make a change!" Have lyrics ever been so ironic? Surgery after surgery didn't change the essence of Michael Jackson. His song lyrics contain a message which just isn't true. Singing them to adoring fans didn't make the change happen.

Becoming salt and light takes more than gritting our teeth and pressing on with white-knuckled determination. The Scriptures declare that we find our purpose in relationship, not in tricks or even working a bit harder. Light??? Salt??? These are who we become as we embrace just Whose we are. And the world will never be the same...........Neither will we.

Still In ONE Peace,

Jon(themethodist)

NOTE: The artwork featured in this particular blog is the property of Cheryl Harrison and only used with her permission. To explore more of Cheryl's creative visual artwork visit:

www.charrisonart.com

Still In ONE Peace,

Jon(the methodist)

To see more of Cheryl's creative handiwork visit www.

Recharging Your Batteries?

In, The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch shares with the world the challenges and blessings of being a husband, parent, and professor while battling pancreatic cancer.

He offers the following insights that speak to me in simple, yet significant ways. If you are reading this, my prayer is that these words are life-giving to you.

"...the best caregiving advice we've ever heard comes from flight attendants: 'Put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others'....there's nothing weak or selfish about taking some fraction of your day to be alone, recharging your batteries." pp. 200-201

Professor Pausch is on to something significant. I wonder how many times I've rushed off to rescue someone who was struggling to breathe without making sure I had an adequate supplyof oxygen myself ? The truth be known - way too many times. A friend of mine from Australia phrases it this way, "You don't need a pastor who can't waste away an hour with God on a regular basis!"

Last week clergy from across the Raleigh District gathered @ Camp Chestnut Ridge for a Day Apart. Many who participated have since commented that something about that day was life-giving. I really think it had very little to do with the agenda for the day, and quite a bit to do with the day being the agenda. We made ourselves available - at God's bidding - to God - and one another and God did all the rest.

Jesus made it a regular practice to come away from the crowds and even the inner circle of disciples to make himself available to God. I wonder what makes me think that I can somehow come up with a better model than this? Pastors often feel the weight of expectation imposed upon us. Those expectations often come from others, or even worse - from ourselves! My prayer for the flock to whom I belong is that we would grow more comfortable with solitude, and disciplined in regularly wasting away an hour with God.

Still In ONE Peace,

Jon(the methodist)