If you’ve ever had the opportunity to move from one place to another, you know the excitement and the pain that is moving. (read a bit about my recent move here). There is the adventure of striking out to discover the new. There is the sense of wonder that comes when we are open to new places and people and things. There is also the struggle of getting going in the first place. There is often much that seeks to fix us in a place, to solidify who we are and what we do.
God’s people have always felt this push and pull. The call of Abram to follow God into the wilderness along with the call to build an altar (the one where he was to sacrifice his son). Tents in the desert. Temples in Jerusalem. People on the move. People settling into faith communities.
Even today we consider ourselves people who “gather to be scattered”. We build churches and small groups and find third places where we can gather. We also, send ourselves into our neighborhoods, into our schools, into foreign lands to live out our faith in full view of anyone who takes time to see.
So, are you on the move with God? Are you building an altar? Are you gathering? Are you scattering? Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, are you experiencing God in the midst of it?
In the United Methodist Church, pastors (and thereby their families) are appointed one year at a time. This means there is always a fair amount of movement between churches and communities.
This means disrupting relationships. It means uprooting. It means dislodging.
It also means opportunity for growth. It means being stretched. It means expanded networks.
There is some saddness that marks these moves, but there is also some excitement.
So, I’m in prayer today for my brothers and sisters in ministry (and all the people connected to them) as they wrestle with the mixed bag that is moving. We are still in this together.
Life is better together,
Shawn
Big Rubber Band Ball 