And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard?
This comes in a long line of rhetorical questions from Paul, which ultimately concludes with “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Jesus Christ” Maybe this is a case of the phenomena that we hear what we need to from the inspired Word, but in this, I hear a call to go. I have always felt pulled to go to far flung places, to do good in far flung places. That pull continues. What it ultimately looks like has changed over the years.
One of the spiritual practices you go through to get ordained is to write quarterly letters to your bishop, describing your spiritual journey and formation process. Depending on how long it takes to be formed before being ordained, which is on God’s time, these quarterly letters can continue for 3-5 years. I thoroughly enjoyed writing them, as rereading them quarter to quarter gave me a good assessment of where I’ve been. In any case, in one of those letters, I expressed that I had a vision that my husband and I would head off somewhere far flung. We didn’t know where or how.
I started my ordination process in Seattle, and had moved to Oregon in the midst of my 7 year process. I travelled to Seattle to be ordained by the bishop and in the process I’d started. During the sermon, he’d reviewed my quarterly letters and mentioned that I’d thought I’d go somewhere far flung. He quipped that I had, in fact, gone somewhere – Oregon.
I chuckled at the time, but hoped that wasn’t the end of it. So here I sit, still in Oregon, and life is significantly more complicated than I’d imagined it would be. My vision for going somewhere is sometimes disappointedly smaller. And yet, I firmly believe I’m where I’m supposed to be, when I’m supposed to be, doing precisely what God wants me to be doing. So maybe the dissapointment comes from when my human-driven visions are replaced with God’s dream. It’s hard to let go of our well crafted visions, isn’t it?
Besides, Oregon is one of the least-churched places in this country. There are plenty of people here who have never heard, or if they have, they’ve heard of a God that’s judgmental and conditional. Or maybe they’ve heard, but never seen. In any case, there’s plenty to do here, right where I am.
This morning, I’m thinking about how to be that person who speaks and acts in a way that Christ’s love is undeniably present, especially to people who don’t know that love. I’m thinking about ways to do that where I am now, rather than envisioning some future date and future plan. Here and now is when I need to do that work. Next week or year? Who knows where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing? Here and now isn’t settling; it isn’t a consolation prize. This is where Christ’s word can be made real, if I realize and step into my call here and now.
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