Weeds

I’ve often wondered who had the brilliant idea of putting in a slate walkway to the parsonage. While it is attractive, it requires constant maintenance. This is because the most fertile soil in all of Alamance County is found in the cracks between the slates, and the weeds spring up overnight. Seriously!

Recently I have found myself thanking God for the person who had the brilliant idea of putting in a slate walkway to the parsonage. Clearly that person understood stress and the need for activities that provide stress relief. That walkway is a gift from God!

When I find myself in the midst of a stressful phone conversation, I step outside and do some weeding while I talk. As I pull and tug at the weeds that seem to have a tenacious hold on the walkway, I find I am able to relax, push beyond the stressor, and get to the root of the matter. Difficult phone conversations are always better when I’m pulling weeds.

When I find myself wrestling with a challenging passage of scripture, I take a break and sit in the middle of the walkway digging my nails into the beautiful black soil that holds these weeds, prying the weeds out one at a time. And somehow God speaks as my nails get dirty and the walkway gets clean. And the scripture once again becomes holy.

Today at high noon in the 90-degree heat I found myself sitting on the hot slate pulling the weeds and then carefully putting the dirt that clung to the roots back into the cracks. Only minutes before, the incredible stress of ministry had me pulling my hair out. And then I remembered the weeds. It is always better to pull weeds.  It was too hot to be out there for long, but those few minutes in the blazing heat gave me some much needed perspective.

Much like weeds, stress is inevitable. Especially in fertile soil. God has created these perfect conditions for growth – rich soil, warm sunshine, plenty of rain. Of course the weeds are going to grow! But these conditions are also ideal for growing the things that are of God. A food ministry that is flourishing. A day care that will soon be filled with noisy, wonderful children. A church overflowing with incredible and faithful people. And with each weed pulled the stress melts away. And the beauty of this ministry is boldly revealed. And I thank God for the person who had the brilliant idea of putting in a slate walkway to the parsonage.

Good Is Good Enough

I am not a perfectionist. But I do like to see a job well done. Recently, in an email exchange with a friend I was reminded, “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” Of course this led me to wonder if I was actually trying to be a perfectionist, or if I was just trying to be a good steward of my resources. I can certainly understand, by the intensity of my email, that I was pushing to get it right. The truth is, my goal wasn’t perfection. What I wanted was for my decisions to be thoughtful and faithful. I wanted to make good decisions.

I love the proverb: “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” Striving for perfection can actually hijack a project. Trying to get every detail just right can prove to be impossible, and a great project can fall apart before it ever gets started. But more importantly “good” is actually a good goal, theologically speaking. In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, each day of creation concluded with “And God saw that it was good.” Not perfect. Good. And better than good in God’s eyes is “very good.”

So often we strive for great or wonderful or perfect instead of good. There’s this sense that “good” isn’t good enough. But there’s something about goodness – somehow it speaks of beauty and simplicity and harmony and integrity. Goodness isn’t about competition or hierarchies. Goodness isn’t about perfection. Goodness is somehow tied to faithfulness. And goodness, not greatness or perfection, is a fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22, NIV). Clearly, “good” is pleasing to God.

Interestingly, on the day before this email exchange I heard Greg Jones speak at Duke Divinity School on Resurrecting Excellence.  As he spoke of leading the church in the 21^st century, he made the comment, “Beware of mediocrity masquerading as faithfulness.”  Another proverb. I think we fall into this trap too often – often unawares.  Consider those times when we claim we are being good stewards of our resources and thus we are being faithful, when in fact we are afraid of taking a risk or we are afraid of failing. We claim that what we are doing is good, when the truth is that we don’t want to step on toes, offend anyone, or move out of our own comfort zones. At those times we settle – yes, settle! – for the status quo rather than pushing for that which is truly good. We settle for mediocrity and call it faithfulness. When in fact it is neither faithful nor good.

Perfection is often impossible. Mediocrity is often too easy. Yet just like the three bears and their porridge, there’s that third option that is just right: goodness.  Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Beware of mediocrity masquerading as faithfulness. And from the book of Proverbs: “Those who plan good find loyalty and faithfulness” (14:22b). So why don't we strive to do good?

Energy

I love Einstein’s equation, E = mc². Even as a pastor, the truth of this equation resonates with me. Somehow, in some mysterious way we don’t fully understand, energy and matter are directly related. Energy and matter are intimately tied to one another.

Of course, I’ve grown up experiencing this tie on one of my favorite shows, Star Trek. The idea behind beaming technology (Beam me up, Scotty!) is simply an example of this equation. You turn matter into an energy wave at one location and the energy wave travels to a new location (which is easy for a wave to do quickly) and there it is turned back into matter. Even in the non-science fiction world this makes a certain level of sense, since matter and energy are directly related. (It really isn’t that far fetched!) In other words, matter and energy are interchangeable.

So in the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, we say God created out of nothing. The earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep – there was nothing. But God, who is pure energy – the God who is light and life – the God of love – created matter. God gave form and substance to the universe. God created light and land, plants and animals, galaxies and gravity, you and me. God created. Whether we call it the Big Bang or speak in terms of Genesis 1, in the beginning God’s divine energy was given form and God created. We are God’s creation.

And as God’s creation we are so clearly made up of matter – of atoms and molecules formed into cells and organs. Matter that has been given life. God has given us life. Unlike a rock or other inanimate object, God has not only created us, but given us life. And in some way that we don’t fully understand, the life God has given us – that spirit God has breathed into us – is intimately tied to the divine, creative energy of God.

As a Christian, I call that divine, creative energy the Holy Spirit. The Star Wars fans of the world call it The Force. Some might call it intuition or a sixth sense. Some call it love. I’m sure there are other ways of identifying this energy of which I am unaware. Most of us know deep in the core of our being that there’s more to the world than meets the eye – we’ve experienced this “energy” in our lives whether we are “religious” or not.

Two thousand years ago God did something new. God poured divine energy into His Son, God with us. For just over 30 years this man Jesus walked the earth. He was born in Bethlehem and grew up in Nazareth, a Jew among Jews, but also the great I AM. Divine energy made flesh in a new way – God incarnate – different from all other humans and yet still very much human. No wonder the woman with hemorrhages touched his robe and was healed. She sensed Jesus’ divine energy even before she touched him. And Jesus was aware that power had gone forth from him when she touched him (Mark 5:30). Divine energy.

And when the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost the disciples and all those gathered together experienced a wind from God and tongues of fire (Acts 2). They experienced the divine energy of the Holy Spirit – a unifying energy that empowered them to do something new.

Today we experience that divine energy in so many different ways. A conversation with a friend that is filled with grace, with resonances, with peace. A beautiful sunset that deeply touches our spirit. God’s Word speaking a truth that enriches and empowers us. The Holy Spirit blowing through our church, moving us in mysterious and amazing ways.  That energy has the power to bind us together – weaving the rich tapestry of our diversity into something beautiful. That energy has the power to heal, restore, transform, make new. That energy is the source of all our being – the Alpha and the Omega – the power of resurrection.

We know it when we experience it. And we can all experience it, for this energy is not meant to be contained. I experience this energy as the Holy Spirit of God, an extraordinary gift. How do you experience this energy?

No matter what we call this divine energy, I suspect we all recognize it at something mysterious and beautiful and perfect. Perhaps, in some odd and inexplicable way, E = mc² is just another way of saying “God with us.”