Local Little Lasting Things

I emulate very few men. But one of those men would have to be Eugene Peterson.

Everytime I read what he has written about life, ministry, pastoring, or church, I feel a deep resonation in my soul, as if it is saying, "Yes... this is what it's supposed to be like. This is what we should expect. This is how we should go about it. This is what we should ascribe to and shoot for."

One of the things that he says concerns the nature of local pastoral work. It can be summarized along these lines: usually, nothing that is worth anything happens quickly or on a large scale, at least at first. If it's worthy and valuable, it takes a long time to develop, and develops from a series of little things. Therefore, we should devote ourselves to doing little things well over the long haul.

I love that. I love that because it tears down this incredible burden to do big things with great gusto--mainly with our own planning, effort, and execution. I love that because it is in line with Jesus' teaching on the nature and growth of the kingdom of God. I love that because the little things over the long haul are not easily torn down--like a wall that is built stone by stone, brick by brick. I love that because the little things over the long haul don't bend to cultural expression; cultural expression must bend to them.

I love that because we can't always see the growth of little things over the long haul. I love that because when we do see the growth, it is a great privilege, because we are conscious of its growth apart from our striving. Something so beautiful and valuable and permanent certainly could not have come from us. I love that because when we do see the growth, we are allowed to see what a gift it is to participate with the Grower--to see things through his eyes, to become aware of his meticulousness and vision, to taste in his incredible patience, and to see how effective it is in the lives of those who respond to his pursuance.

Local, little, lasting things. That's the type of church and church work I want to do. It's people who value that whom I want to labor and play.

technology

I've been reading this tiny book containing selections from Thomas Merton's writing. Here is a quote that I thought was rather appropriate for churches like mine who sometimes fail to turn a critical eye toward technology. It reads:

"This is no longer a time of systematic ethical speculation, for such speculation implies time to reason, and the power to bring social and individual action under the concerted control of reasoned principles upon which most men agree. There is no time to reason out, calmly and objectively, the moral implications of technical developments which are perhaps already superseded by the time one knows enough to reason about them."

"Action is not governed by moral reason but by political expediency and the demands of technology--translated into the simple abstract formulas of propoganda. These formulas have nothing to do with reasoned moral action, even though they may appeal to apparent moral values--they simply condition the mass of men to react in a desired way to certain stimuli."

I wonder how much of our worship services are just Christianized forms of manipulation--trying to get people to react in the desired way to certain stimuli. I wonder if many of us could articulate how the Spirit acts differently, much less articulate how we are to worship in light of the indwelling of the Spirit.