“Tilling the ground for reformation”
Nehemiah
1:1-4; Ephesians 3:20-21; Luke 11:5-13
Walls...part of our everyday life...they’re all around us...can be
seen through at least two different lens.
One lens sees them in a fearful, negative light...separating...an
obstacle to unity and working together.
Think of the Berlin wall, the West Bank barrier, or the Border fence
between the US and Mexico. These walls...mental/spiritual as much as physical.
But there is another image...still of
separating...but with a positive outcome.
Walls can separate us from the extremes of heat and cold, or keep us safe
from elements—climatic or criminal that would harm our physical well-being.
There are cell walls that separate and organize vital functions of the
biology of all life.
There are also social,
emotional, and spiritual “walls,” boundaries
that, if we ‘construct’ them well, make for healthier, more life-giving
relationships with self, each other, and the God who works persistently for our
health & wholeness.
It’s interesting to note that holiness has to do with separating...
setting apart...erecting appropriate ‘walls’ of time & space, attitude
& action to keep us focused on God’s ways and purposes.
Sometimes we need to expand our walls, make them walls of
inclusion, to gain a greater understanding
of what God is up to in our lives individually and as part of the body of
Christ.
One area of expanding our walls
of inclusion is to learn the possibilities and benefits of TEAM work: Together
Everyone Achieves More. The Bubble
group—ministry team leaders who get together on the 3rd Sunday of
the month—share calendars, events, and dreams. They are discovering the
benefits of combining creative minds, different perspectives and shared labor to
achieve more than operating in isolation.
Not only at Joyful Servant, but
in the larger community we are learning the benefits of expanding the walls, of
collaborating across traditional lines of separation. Andy Byerley and I have been privileged to be part of the
Ford Institute Leadership Program whose mission is to build leadership skills
in the people of rural communities to help diversify and strengthen the
economic and cultural capacities of small towns. So we have been breaching the walls of public & private,
church & state to work together to develop skills that address issues
common to us as human beings.
We’re learning to see & share assets that we have, expanding the
walls of community and cooperation.
More about walls as the weeks unfold...but now I’d like to switch metaphors from walls to gardens.
In order to rebuild, reform,
renew or revive, we need energy...food of various kinds to feed our hungers and
sustain our lives.
How many of you have a garden of
some kind...herbs in a window, a container on the patio or a dedicated plot of
ground at home?
Tilling the ground...it’s what gardeners and farmers have been
doing since human beings were given the breath of life. Tilling the ground for physical food; tilling the ground of the spirit to nourish our souls, tilling the ground in hope...of
growing that which will bring us abundant life of community.
There are various tools we use to till
the ground and increase the yield of
our various gardens...from hand tools to expensive and complex farm
machinery.
And if we think of the whole
process from farm to table, there are a lot of “team” members collaborating in
various ways to feed the need of the of the planet’s peoples.
I’d like you to consider three basic, indispensable tools for “tilling the ground” so that
we have the food and energy to do the building we are being called to do, as our
individual families and the family of Joyful Servant venture into new chapters
of life together.
These three tools are at the top of the list, right before our eyes;
in fact they are or have been used by you to provide needed food
for body, mind, and spirit. They
may need a bit of cleaning up, sharpening, and consideration of creative ways
of using them to help us in our growing, but they’re right here at our
disposal, ready to be put to work.
They are prayer, study (of God’s word), and worship.
Now before you say, “Been there,
done that; know that”...and nod off for your sermon siesta, let’s reconsider these familiar tools to see how
useful they can be in deepening and enriching our journey.
What is your practice of prayer? Grace at meals?
Now I lay me down to sleep?
Good morning, Lord...or Good Lord, its morning!
How much ‘walled off’ time do you
make in each day to consciously & consistently communicate with the One in
whom we “live & move & have our being”? What...willing to commit to?
We have a good deal of physical
building & rebuilding to do this summer. But in order for us to do it well and realize all its
spiritual and relational benefits, we need to be using the tool of prayer to
soften the ground of our hearts and the hearts of the parents & children
this ministry will serve. We want
all hearts to be fertile ground the growth of God’s word... We want these walls to be walls of
safety, peace, and strong love.
This is just one project/ministry
the Spirit has opened our eyes to.
If we are to be aware of and open to the “immeasurably
more” that God is capable of in, with and through us, then our prayer tool... our
asking/seeking/knocking...is going to need heavy use. Up to it?
Next week Laura Gifford is going to be taking us through the
historical context of Nehemiah. For
that we need to bring the tool of study
online.
Understanding the context of the stories of Scripture is necessary
so that we may digest important insights into the whys and wherefores of the
words & actions of God and God’s people.
Reading the story for yourself
is a beginning. It’s not long (16
pg). A contemporary version like
the NLT can be helpful. Don’t
worry about the names; concentrate on the flow of the story. Write down your questions and ask them
in prayer...and on the blog.
Remember no question is a dumb
question. They’re simply questions
that need an answer...those who ask...receive.
Reading & studying scripture
can be a very prayerful experience.
It’s listening to God. In
fact prayer isn’t very satisfying if we don’t do the listening
‘two-thirds’...two ears, one mouth...
Studying prayer in general and
Nehemiah’s prayers in particular can lead to a deeper, richer prayer life for
you...and for us.
I’ve listed N’s prayers in your
outline. Andy will take you deeper
into them in a couple weeks.
Also pick up the book Christianity After Religion by Diana
Butler Bass and join the reading group.
Her insights fit right in to the rebuilding, reforming, renewing and
reviving we are being called to do.
I’m sure the blog could be a forum for discussion of this book as well
as Nehemiah.
Then we come to the third in
a holy trinity of tools that will give us nourishment for our summer’s
journey: worship.
Our weekly gathering is a key tool that gives our lives healthy
structure & rhythm. Worship
draws us into the presence of God to deepen and strengthen our connections to God
& one another. Worship is a
natural outgrowth of prayer and study.
We learn to see God in and around us and we want celebrate & thank
& praise & enjoy God’s presence.
We can do that in quiet moments...or come together to give & receive
& be sent out into the rest of the week re-energized to be people of grace
& truth in a tough world.
The goal of all this “building” & “tilling” is a “whole” & healthy community...where everyone has a place and a purpose; where everyone is included
and respected; where God is seen and
acknowledged as the Source of all life.
The goal is the kingdom of God that
‘rocks,’ where all “stand strong;” it’s the reign of God in each heart. It’s the answer to all our prayers, the
discovery of all our study, the joy of all our worship; it’s the result of all
our rebuilding, reforming, renewing, and reviving.
On retreat the Council discerned
this vision: To become a
fellowship of believers, grounded in God’s word, living out our faith through
joyful service.
So let’s get on with the
journey... Amen.
--Pastor Tom
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