04-15-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
​April 15, 2023
Donna and I got away for a couple of nights, and yesterday morning, as I was on an elliptical machine in the workout center of the hotel, I watched a little girl run around the outdoor pool while her mother sat close by. It might have been one of those moments where the mother was thinking, "I’ll let her burn off some energy before we get in the car," or maybe it was a normal morning activity for this family. The pool was a little larger than most hotel pools, and that girl must have done close to 20 laps around the pool. And each time she would come close to her mother, she would do this little celebratory dance before doing her next lap. A few times her mother gave her a high-five; twice she stood up and danced with her, and each time she gave her a big cheer. Her laps seemed sort of monotonous and without purpose, but she didn’t seem to care.

It got me thinking about how some of the work of faith can feel monotonous, as if we are running in circles. There are times when we question whether we are making any sort of progress, wondering if our efforts are having any sort of positive impact. If we are honest, there have been times in Christian history when the church has probably run aimlessly and achieved nothing. There are other times when the impact of our effort is not easily seen in the moment. In fact, our faithful exertion is only one small part of a much greater sacred effort across geography and even across generations. I think about Moses, who spent so much time in the wilderness doing the hard work of faith, yet he personally never made it to the finish line of the Promised Land. That part of the task was for someone else, and the next part was for someone else. Thinking that we must achieve it all will most definitely lead to disappointment and failure, yet we each have something essential to offer the work of God’s grace in the world. Let’s keep moving…

Keep me motivated, Gracious God, even when the task seems a bit tedious and unfulfilling. What I bring just might be the small yet necessary piece to hold the whole thing together. Whatever the case, if you have called me to the work, then it must be important. Amen.