11/18/2013
What Does Southwest Airlines Know that Ministry Professionals Don’t? - Jim Merhaut
Read Now“If it matters to you, it matters to us.” Sometimes in ministry, we prefer to reverse that statement and add a word for the guilt effect. We might say, “If it matters to us, it should matter to you.” Churches can become so wrapped up in their own preservation that they forget their mission. They forget that their purpose is to serve the needs of others… from the perspective of the others.
All too often, in ministry, intergenerational refers to an event or gathering where all the ages come together for an activity or event several times a year. Serious thought about intergenerational opportunities as a regular practice or as a way of life in the church does not seem to be the norm. Using the word intergenerational is not something we normally understand to be happening each time we gather. It is set apart.
As congregations begin to make preparations for Advent, this holy – true, good, and beautiful – season of the year, the O Antiphons stand out as one of the Church’s Advent prayer practices that can lead us to the peaceful, simple, rooted posture that we all seek.
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Schools are great a helping kids find out how to do things – reading, writing, math, research, and critical thinking to name a few. They are good at helping kids discover the importance of physical activity, sharing, honesty, art, music, and learning languages to name a few. What I don’t see very often, is helping them to discover more about themselves by looking at who they are, what makes them tick, why they think certain things are important while others don’t, or how to become centered rather than scattered. It won’t work to simply tell them to go discover themselves – we have to be there to mentor them on their journey.
The first Sunday in Advent also is the first Sunday of the church calendar, the new year of our church. Depending on your tradition, you’ll notice scriptures, colors, and traditions that follow the liturgical new year. A few years ago, I led a congregation in learning more about the church year. Working with the faith formation and worship committee, we created a mini wreath for each church attendee with pony beads to help them notice the colors of the church year. The mini circle had 13 colors on it. These represented the 13 major colors of that church’s liturgical tradition. We called the circle: the liturgical circle of color. |
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