I sometimes wonder how many people read these “And Finally” articles that I write…but I no longer have to wonder if people read the “And Finally” articles that Pastor Jill writes! 🙂 Jill’s piece last month described her increasing awareness of a polarity in faith between action and formation, between living out our faith and building up our faith. And that really struck a chord – or even a nerve – with many folks! There have been a lot of responses (emails and conversations) to the article, as the content of Pastor Jill’s “And Finally” has also been talked about in a number of ministry/committee meetings and at Consistory, and Pastor Beth and Pastor Jill and I have also talked about it extensively. For some folks, it seems that having this polarity named so clearly and compassionately by Pastor Jill gave a sense of encouragement about not being alone in wrestling with these dynamics. For others, having a clearer sense of this polarity tapped into some frustration, becoming more keenly aware of a desire to think about priorities and shared values. And for others I think it was simply a helpful and meaningful new way to identify some of the dynamics many of us are feeling individually and as a community of faith. So I’m going to piggyback on what Pastor Jill has expressed by: 1) reporting to you about a June event for my Doctor of Ministry project 2) reiterating something important about polarities 3) telling you about a new idea that the pastors are implementing for the Fall.
1) At the end of June, I was grateful to have about 70 people attend an event to reflect on and respond to Prayers of Confession that I have been writing for use in our worship services over the past months. People engaged with the prayers so wonderfully, and it was very valuable for me to receive such thoughtful feedback. A significant part of what we discussed was the value people place on and the need they have for worship that is nourishing to them. And it is from such feedback that something like this will be in my final DMin Thesis:
Hope Church has an identity focused on service and justice, but the rhythm of worship is the weekly heartbeat of the community, and it is in worship that this identity is nourished by the Spirit. The responses given to the prayers express that faith is felt most deeply when a feeling of God’s love and a commitment to action are woven together. The demanding action of justice is rooted in the soil of God’s deep love, as the Spirit over time bears good fruit in and through our lives. (These are the kinds of things one writes in a Thesis!)
All of which is to say, part of what exploring those prayers and this polarity has helped us to do is to reaffirm the central place of worship for a congregation that is called to justice.
2) I want to reinforce some thoughts that Pastor Jill shared about polarities, which is that a polarity is not about balance between two opposites (which is a common misconception) but about interplay and relationship between two things that are essential. Faith nurture and faithful action will never be in perfect balance. Different circumstances in life will require more focus on one or the other from us, and in fact each of us will always be in different places in the interplay between the two (which is why we need each other!). Instead it is when nurture and action are in dynamic relationship with one another within us and among us – nurture shaping our hearts for deeper compassion and action drawing us to a deeper dependence on God – that the polarity is a source of creativity and strength for us.
3) We have an idea! It’s an idea focused on supporting our worship life and faith nurture which is actually adapted from feedback given by participants in the June prayer event. Jill, Beth and I have developed a resource that will be sent out by weekly email in advance of each Sunday to invite people to prepare for the worship services. The email will contain the Prayer of Confession or Prayer of the Day for the coming Sunday and a link to the lectionary scriptures, along with reflection questions. We are seeking for this to be a simple but meaningful way to connect individually and corporately to the weekly heartbeat of worship for our community. And we believe it will be a way through which the Spirit can deepen in us the essential interplay of nurture and action.
Watch for the initial email for worship preparation coming your way in advance of the September 9 fall kickoff Sunday. We look forward to hearing from you about this idea, as we continue to explore how nurture and action are woven together in our faith.
Peace,
~Pastor Gordon