Be Willing to Move On and Go Where God Calls You Read Jeremiah 48: 11-12 In the “Set Up A Contextual Analysis…” study we talked about the YOU ARE HERE marker one can find in a shopping mall. We established that once we found where we were and then found where we wanted to go it was a fairly straight line between point A and point B. Now, I want to reflect upon another YOU ARE HERE marker, this time the one we would find is in a state park to mark a trail. The same general principle applies. If you want to hike the trail you look for: * Where you are * Where you want to end up With the hiking map, there is one major difference. This time there is not a straight line from point A to point B. This time the route can take you in a very uneven circular path with choices along the way. With a hiking map we might back track in some spots. We may need to choose between a rugged shortcut and a longer, easier route. The trail can take us around a lake so that we have to look closely to pick up the trail on the other side. We might even find ourselves on nothing more than a deer path, wondering if we took a wrong turn! If we stick to the trail and watch for the markers along the way, we should have a great experience. If, however, we choose to never try hiking the trail at all, we will miss out on great experiences and wonderful blessings. Without a vision the people perish. Proverbs 29:18 I have never heard of a vision for either individuals or a faith community where God said, “Hey, kick back, relax and let life happen. I’ll bless you.” In scripture after scripture we see that God is calling people to something new. God called Moses to set the Hebrews free and they ended up in a desert searching for their promised land for forty years. God called Abraham to prepare to go to a place God would show him, but didn’t give a clue as to where he and his family were going. The disciples were called to leave what they’d always known and follow Jesus; later they would give up the lives they’d known to begin the Christian church, though they may not have realized that was what they were doing. They all had a starting place and then they began their journey. The difference is that they weren’t exactly sure where they were going to end up because this was not a “from point A to point B” kind of experience. What all of these people had in common is that they were willing to place their lives in God’s hands and begin a journey that would bring them great experiences and wonderful blessings. I took a tour of a winery many years back and learned that when you make wine you put the ingredients together and then put it into huge containers to ferment. Every so often these large metal blades within the container electrically start up and slowly stir the fermenting mixture for just a short period of time before shutting down again. It was explained that this was to keep the wine from settling and forming a gooey-gobby sediment, known as dregs or lees, on the bottom of the tank. If this sediment formed, the wine was ruined and had to be thrown away. Someone asked if this is why people who make their own wine have to turn the bottles a quarter of a turn every day during the fermenting process. The tour guide affirmed this and said that different wines call for different times and turns of the bottle, but that this process was crucial. Again, if the wine inside wasn’t moved periodically it would form dregs and that would ruin it. After the tour I had a moment alone with the tour guide and asked, “What about in Jesus’ day? They made wine all the time and didn’t have huge stainless steel containers or even glass bottles. How did they keep the dregs from forming on the bottom?” The tour guide smiled and said, “They moved it from container to container. They had many different sized containers, so it might be in a taller, thinner container and then be moved to a shorter, rounder container. If they didn’t move the wine around, the dregs or lees formed at the bottom and ruined the wine. Once that sediment formed, the whole mixture would put off a terrible stench. They would have no choice but to throw it away and start over.” ______________________________________________________________________ With that information let’s look at Jeremiah 48: 11-12: Moab was a city that had not been willing to move on and go where God was calling it. It refused change and had become like wine that had not been poured from one vessel to another. Moab had likely begun to stink in its attitudes and was not willing to change its foul taste or aroma. God’s response was to send those who would force change! “I will send those who pour from jars and they will pour her out; they will empty her jars and smash her jugs”. God appears to be upset with Moab’s refusal to change, but God is not giving up on Moab. Instead God is going to set up circumstances that will demand change. As John Maxwell once said: “There are three times when people are ready to change: * When they hurt enough that they have to * When they learn enough that they want to * When the receive enough that they’re able to” It sounds like Moab is about to feel some hurt and discomfort. They have become fossilized, rather than being willing to move on and go with God. God’s response is not a punishment, but the creation of a catalyst for the change that needs to happen. How do churches become willing to go with God and not become so set in their ways that they find themselves fossilized? * Be open to change. The seven deadliest words in the history of the Christian faith are: We’ve Never Done It That Way Before. Study the scriptures and the ways the Spirit has moved people throughout history. Meet with other churches and find out what kinds of things they are doing; allow your church to try new things. * Be Committed, Accountable, and Responsible to Jesus’ teachings and God’s purpose. Look honestly at the mission of your church. When was the last time it was revised? The mission is who we are as a community of faith. If your mission hasn’t changed over the years, you may find that ministry in your church is beginning to stink. * Be ready to venture forth in faith. Does your church have a vision? Where has God called you to go, and how will you get there? There are valuable resources to assist churches in vision casting. There will be an ultimate big picture goal, and then smaller goals (with steps) in how to attain that goal. Remember that venturing forth will require change. * Be Flexible. If we are to move and go with God we have to be flexible. “Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be broken. Hurricane Andrew came through our neighborhood when we were living in southern Louisiana. We learned, as a result of those ninety mile an hour winds, that the flexible willows weathered the storm much better than the rigid oak trees. In the same way, churches need to be flexible when we go where God calls us to go. Things will not be the same once such a movement begins and we will need to put our faith in God. How do we discern that God is calling us to move on? * The people will seem dissatisfied with just about everything in the church. I’m not talking about those who are always dissatisfied with everything in the church. I’m talking about your influencers; those who hold leadership positions and the folks who typically seem quite happy with things. * The leadership of the church will feel as though they are being resisted in the major areas of ministry. * There will be an overall frustration within the life of the congregation. * People will begin to talk about feeling useless to the church; that they have nothing to offer. * There will be a sense that something is missing/lacking in the life of the church. * There will be those who sense that somehow your church is out of date; like God has moved on and you’ve been left behind. A seminary colleague once confided in me that his church, once a glorious institution in town, had become a dismal place for him and some of the others in the congregation. He had some folks come to him and say, “You know Reverend, things just feel out of sorts around here this past year. I can’t put my finger on it.” He met with the leadership of the church and they began to work on some new ideas for worship and Christian education. People heard the news of these proposed changes and were immediately up in arms. My colleague said, “Nancy, I don’t know what to do. It feels like we’re stuck. God’s moved on and the church just wants to sit here and do everything the way we’ve done it for the past twenty years”. I suggested that he pray about how he and his congregation might move on and go with God. His response was, “Oh no! That would mean change. This congregation’s biggest four letter word is: C-H-A-N-G-E. It isn’t going to happen.” He resigned one year later. Here are some practical suggestions for how to lead a congregation through change: 1. Begin to get honest and open about the need to move on and go with God. * Use references regarding the Hebrews, Abraham, the disciples, and the early church leaders. * Talk about Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today and forever, and the need to get off of our blessed assurances and follow Him today. 2. Open up to other churches and find out how they keep from settling on their dregs. * How do they keep allowing themselves to be poured out into different vessels in order to stay fresh and alive in ministry? 3. Develop a self-imposed ruthlessness. * If the church is not moving, it is not fair to sit and cast the blame on others. We participate in the life of our congregations by choice, and we need to be ruthless in owning our part in the problems AND the progress. * We push ourselves to do our part, and in doing our part we must be willing to be committed, accountable and responsible. We are the ones in control of our attitudes, words and actions. In this process we must be responsible for them and strive to work toward the common goal God places before us. 4. Learn to listen, even when it’s agonizing. * We want to listen to God and we want to listen to others, especially those who hold a different opinion from our own. * In listening to others we become more aware of our own beliefs and where we are in our own spiritual journey. 5. Be patient. * Process takes time. If your congregation is in the midst of moving on and going with God in a new direction, be patient with others, but also with yourself. Change is seldom easy. 6. Be aware of the cycles in your church (Rev. Elder Lillie Brock has an excellent workshop on The Change Cycle). * Take notice of any of the signs that might indicate that God is calling you to move on. 7. Take time to celebrate achievements. * Once the church completes a particular time of growth or movement in a direction God has called us, we need take time to play and celebrate! 8. Continue to build the body of Christ spiritually so that the next time God calls on us to move and grow in some area, we will understand what is going on. God has not called us to settle on our dregs or lees as Moab did. God calls us to be moving in a direction that will ultimately be a blessing to God and to our faith community. Movement always means change, and for many of us change is difficult. Remember that we do not face it alone. We have other churches that have been through it. We have one another, and ultimately we have God, who is ready to walk the journey with us. So let’s not settle down and raise a stink. Let’s walk a journey of faith hand-in-hand with God. QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION Does your church have a mission statement? If so, what is it? When did it come into effect? Is it still relevant for your church today? Does your church have a vision statement? If so, what is it? When did it come into effect? In the big picture of your vision statement, where would you put the YOU ARE HERE marker today? What kind of progress have you made? As you read this, is your congregation settling, on the move, or beginning to smell? Would you say that your church moves with God in the same way that the winds move through the weeping willow, or is your faith community more like the rigid mighty oak? Why do you suppose God chose to force change in Moab rather than simply letting them go as God did Sodom and Gomorrah? If your church was not willing to move on and go with God, would you prefer that God sent jug-smashers to your church or simply ignored you and let you die out? Why? Circle the one that typically leads your church to change: * When they hurt enough that they have to * When they learn enough that they want to * When they receive enough that they’re able to Can you give an example? Do you see anything from this study that tells you that God is calling your church to move on? Copyright © 2005 by Nancy J. Horvath-Zurn, Mdiv Published by UFMCC