HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-06-23, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2011. By Tom Murray
Knox United Church
No part of our human culture
needs a greater sense of urgency
than the church.
In fact, in churches across nations,
continents, and the world, the signs
are clearly visible. We are failing to
connect well with God’s created. If
anything, we need to be in prayer
asking God to grip us in a renewed
sense of urgency.
John Kotter, global author in
leading change, in his book A Sense
of Urgency, defines urgency this
way. Urgency is a focused resolve to
prevail and succeed. Quoting his
opening chapter: “We are much too
complacent and we don’t even know
it... With complacency, no matter
what people say, if you look at what
they do it is clear that they are
mostly content with the status quo.”
He goes on to say later, “True
urgency focuses on critical issues...
True urgency is driven by a deep
determination to win, not anxiety
about losing. With an attitude of true
urgency, you try to accomplish
something important every day…
“People, who are determined to
move and win, now, simply do not
waste time or add stress by engaging
in irrelevant or business-as-usual
activities.”
As a pastor, like many out there,
one of my personal frustrations with
church is sitting through meetings
where lots of good ideas and
solutions are proposed (people even
speak of issues with conviction) yet
most times we walk away having
made no decisions. Drives me
crazy! Yet, I feel like God is using
this to challenge us in two ways: 1)
in the area of patience and 2) in
motivating us to be change agents
rather than wallowing in frustration
and discontent.
Jesus encounters a sense of
urgency in John 11:1-16. The
difference is that it doesn’t have to
do with new life. It has to do with
anxiety about a possible death. Mary
and Martha’s brother is sick.
So they send word to Jesus. They
tell him, “This... one you love, is
gravely ill.” It’s an urgent matter that
has to do with someone near and
dear to Jesus’ heart. But what does
Jesus do when he hears about it? He
stays put for two more days. At first
sight, uncaring toward Mary and
Martha? Jesus comes across as being
cold. Yet, Lazarus is someone Jesus
is relationally connected to and
whom he loves sincerely. Scripture
defines the relations we have with
the ones we love, as that love which
establishes a bond and creates a
sense of urgency when our loved
ones get sick. Often times, in
moments of urgency, our decisions
are based on fear; afraid to lose our
loved one.
We are often anxious about things
changing, keep in mind Ezekiel’s
vision? What’s going on in that
vision of the valley of dry bones?
(Ez., Ch. 37) Israel has been
displaced in the Temple; their place
of worship where their community
gathers and has identity. Not only
that, but the Temple has been
destroyed from the collateral
damage of war. So, the Israelites
have little hope as their way of life is
threatened.
But when God’s priest, Ezekiel,
speaks, new life is breathed into
those dry bones. And God’s message
is essentially, “What is your
problem? You don’t need that
Temple to worship your God... to
have an identity as a people... or
have a relationship with the
Divine. I, the Lord your God, am
always with you!”
The Israelites were so sad over
losing the Temple that they let fear
determine their entire outlook. They
were afraid that they had nothing
left, nothing left to live for. But listen
to this: There’s an old Buddhist
lesson that says, “Hopelessness is
not the opposite of hope. Fear is.”
The Israelites are urgent about
preserving their way of life, because
they are afraid that without the
Temple they have nothing left to live
for.
Mary and Martha are urgent about
Jesus coming to visit Lazarus,
because they are afraid of what
might happen if he doesn’t, that
Lazarus might die. But Jesus is
urgent about removing any obstacle
that stands between him and
Jerusalem, because he is filled with
hope for the Easter blessings of
resurrection and new life.
Listen to the words of Hebrews
12:1-3: “Do you see what this means
- all these pioneers who blazed the
way, all these veterans cheering us
on? It means we’d better get on with
it. Strip down, start running-and
never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no
parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on
Jesus, who both began and finished
this race we’re in. Study how he did
it. Because he never lost sight of
where he was headed – that
exhilarating finish in and with God –
he could put up with anything along
the way: Cross, shame, whatever.
And now he’s there, in the place of
honour, right alongside God. When
you find yourselves flagging in your
faith, go over that story again, item
by item, that long litany of hostility
he plowed through. That will shoot
adrenaline into your souls!”
Do you see how Jesus’ sense of
urgency differs from the Israelites’
sense of urgency and Mary and
Martha’s sense of urgency? Do you
see how Jesus’ understanding of
urgency stands in stark contrast with
what we get so urgent about in our
lives because we are so afraid of
things dying? So insecure about
things changing?
In an article by Margaret
Wheatley, it was noted that the East
German dissident, Rudolf Bahro,
once stated, “When the forms of an
old culture are dying, the new
culture is created by a few people
who are not afraid to be insecure.”
That’s what new life looks
like. That’s what resurrection looks
like. That’s Jesus’ understanding of
urgency!
Surely, that’s what the disciples
who followed Jesus were all about:
Not being afraid to be insecure. Not
being afraid of the unknown. That’s
the stuff that leads to new life.
There’s a scene in the movie
Finding Nemo where our heroes,
Dory and Marlin, are stuck inside a
great whale. Biblical parallel? Dory
communicates to the whale that
Marlin needs to get back out there
and find his lost son, Nemo; the
whale communicates to them, it's
time to let go. Dory and Marlin are
hanging onto something inside the
whale’s mouth for fear they’ll fall
down into black void of his
stomach. So, Dory says to Marlin,
“It’s time to let go.” And Marlin
says, “How do you know something
bad isn’t going to happen?” Dory
says, “I don’t.”
Dory and Marlin let go and the
whale shoots them out into the open
water. New life. So, what are you so
urgent about? What is your sense of
urgency?
John Kotter made it his business to
study both success and failure in
change initiatives in our human
cultures and communities. “The
most general lesson to be learned
from the more successful cases is
that the change process goes through
a series of phases that, in total,
usually require a considerable length
Worship Service & Sunday School at 11 a.m.
CORNER OF DINSLEY & MILL STREETS
MINISTER
Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div.
All Welcome
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.OFFICE: 519-523-4224
June 26 ~ Faithful Friction
July 3rd ~ Come To The Garden (Outside Service)
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
Welcomes you to come and worship with us
Trinity, Blyth
9:15 a.m.
Church Office: 519-357-4883
St. John's, Brussels
11:15 a.m.
519-887-6862
Sunday, June 26
Rev. Perry Chuipka
www.nabcom.ca/church
St. Michael’s Cemetery Mass
at the cemetery
Saturday, July 9
at noon
with Father Morrison officiating.
All welcome.
Please bring lawn chairs.
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, JUNE 26
Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available
519-887-2664
10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship
- Sunday School
getlivingwater.org
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School
at Blyth Public School,
corner of King & Mill
June 26: Acts 9:1-19
“The Church
You’ve Always
Longed For --
Anticipates a
Great Future”
Evangelical Missionary Church
Community Vacation Bible School
July 25-29 at CRC
www.vacationbibleschool.com/blyth
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, June 26
Brussels Public School
at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Sunday School for children
4 to 11 years of age (mornings only)
Childcare provided for infants and toddlers
Coffee & cookies after the morning service
For additional details please contact:
Steve Klumpenhower 519.887.8651 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
Chris McMichael 519.482.1644
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Sandra Cable, Worship Leader
Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - beunitedchurch@gmail.com
Sunday, June 26
Ethel United Church
Worship Service and Sunday School - 9:30 a.m.
Brussels United Church
Worship Service and Sunday School - 11:00 a.m.
Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship
Please join us for worship
Summer Intern Pastor Kevin Boss
Hwy. 4, Blyth 519-523-4743
www.blythcrc.ca
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00 am
Evening Service 7:30 pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
119 John’s Ave., Auburn
519-526-1131
www.huronchapel.org
9:30 a.m.
Sunday School
10:30 a.m.
Graduation Sunday
Rob Campbell speaking
All graduates will be recognized
and there will be cake served
following service.
Vacation Bible School
“Voyage of the Dawn Treader”
Visit www.huronchapel.org
to register!
For all children
in grades JK-6
July 4-8
9:30 a.m. -
12:00 noon
From the Minister’s StudyHumans need sense of urgency in church
Continued on page 15