“As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart and bear fruit with endurance.” (Luke 8:14-15)
“This world is full of conflicts and full of things that cannot be reconciled.”
(Leonard Cohen, best-known for his song Hallelujah)
There is an inherent tension in transitional ministry. The interim Pastor and congregation are to reflect on the church’s heritage (history) while at the same time embracing where God is leading (future). Reminds me of the 1967 Moody Blues album title “Days of Future Past.”
How do we examine our past, cherishing what was, while stepping into the unknown of what is to be? Don’t we by nature cling to what we know (or have experienced)? For many, anxiety takes hold when pressed to wrap their minds or hearts around the uncontrollable. As Leonard Cohen said, “This world is full of conflicts and full of things that cannot be reconciled.”
It’s in that tension where growth can occur; there’s a space where the Spirit creeps in and creates opportunities for something new to emerge. The Exodus from enslavement in Egypt created the opportunity for God’s people to become a freed community serving one another not Pharaoh. Rome’s cross (meant to thwart resistance to its power) was a space where love prevailed over evil. The Spirit was at work transforming a people and a tool of execution.
Where is that Spirit now as the Open Door journeys from what was and is to what can be? It’s probably too early to have clarity but the Spirit is at work I’m sure. “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
May we all be attentive to where and how God’s Spirit is growing in us and around us and through us.