Bifocal Vision

October 12, 2018

One thing I shared with the staff my first week back from sabbatical was how important it is for us to have "bifocal vision." 

You know what bifocal glasses are: the top part allows you to see far off in the distance, all the way to the horizon. The lower part allows you to see something very close to you, things right under your nose.

One of the "insights" I gained from from sabbatical (you see what I did there?) is that you and I -- as individual Christians and collectively, as a church -- need to have bifocal vision.

On the one hand, you and I need to do a better job, with God's help, focusing on Kingdom of Heaven values: we need to do a better job asking ourselves, "what is God's will in this?"

• We need to have our eyes focused on God's values, God'spreferences. 

• We need to be focused on what can, most days, seem like far-off fruits of the Spirit: things like love, rejoicing, deep peace, calm patience, spontaneous generosity,  resilient faithfulness, unflappable kindness, and goodness-of-character. 

• It means keeping our eyes on the big picture, God's better future.  

On the other hand, and at the same time, you and I (again, as individuals and together as a faith community) need to do a better job, with God's help, focusing on specifics, asking ourselves, "what is my role in this?" 

• We need to have our eyes focused on details. 

• It means being the particular part of the body that God calls you to be. 

• It means paying attention to what is right in front of us, hour by hour, minute by minute. 

• It means each of us doing fewer things better. 

• It means having the confidence (and humility!) to say things like "I can do anything, but I cannot do everything." 

• It means trusting that other parts of the Body of Christ will play their parts, as we play ours, and letting God, not us, be the coordinator: the one who knits it all together for God's purposes. 

That's bifocal vision. It doesn't come instantly, or as easily as slipping on a pair of glasses. But with God's help, over time, through the disciplines of the church, we can all develop it, together. 

See you Sunday,

John

Back from Sabbatical, With Gratitude

October 5, 2018

Hello everyone -- I'm happy to back at work from my sabbatical, and want, beginning with this e-news, to express my thanks. 

I am so very grateful. 

I'm grateful for the very fact that I was able to take a sabbatical. While no one denies the wisdom of churches allowing clergy, after six or seven years of service, to take extended time away to rest and renew one's ministry, not all churches choose to (or are able to) make them happen. This time of refreshment is not something I take for granted. 

Thank you. 

I'm even more grateful for all those who stepped up while I was away. 

One thing I've heard over and over since coming back is "we missed you, but..." 

• "we missed you, but wow, Kelly did such a good job!"(Not only on Sundays, but with funerals and pastoral care crises.) Thank you, Kelly! 

• "we missed you, and don't take this the wrong way, but things ran so smoothly while you were away! (This said mostly by staff, some of whom are graciously trying to reassure me that our efficiency this summer was due not so much to my being away as with Heather now being on board and up to speed as our full-time parish administrator, and our staff and vestry, led by our wardens, Paul and Maury, stepping up administratively.) Thank you, staff and vestry, especially Paul, Maury, and Heather! 

• We missed you, but how exciting to meet John Wunderlich and Lauren Breeden, and to get to know Sarah Allred better! (Thank you, search committeesthat led to John and Lauren's hirings, and to Sarah for choosing to spend her summer here!) 

Let me say in return: I missed you, people of The Falls Church, but...

• I missed you, but I had such a great sabbatical: It did exactly what it was supposed to do, at least from my perspective: I feel like a new person -- recovered from a deep tiredness, rested physically, and restored both spiritually and vocationally. I'm also hearing that the sabbatical did good things from the perspective of the staff and vestry, enabling others to see things in different lights and develop new patterns of decision-making. 

• I missed you, but I'm more appreciative than ever of this faith community. I don't know if "absence makes the heart grow fonder," but for me it certainly did make my heart more grateful -- more grateful for this fabulous congregation, more grateful for our current and past vestry members and other lay leadership, more grateful for our dedicated and talented staff, and for Kelly as a true colleague. 

• I missed you, but I'm so glad to be back now! I look forward to seeing many of you at Shrine Mont, where I'll be Friday through  Saturday lunch, and many more of you "back home" at the 9:00 and 11:15 services this Sunday morning. Most of all, I look forward to discovering, together, what exciting plans God has in store for us in the near and long term future. Glory to God, whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. 

With thanks, 

See you Sunday,

John

The Ministers of the Church

September 28, 2018

Q:  Who are the ministers of the Church?

A:  The ministers of the Church are lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons.

That is an excerpt from the Catechism in the Book of Common Prayer, and (when the pagination works out) a question and answer often found on the back page of our Sunday bulletins at The Falls Church.  The ministers of the Church are lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons.

It's one of my favorite things about the Book of Common Prayer.  What's the first, the primary order of ministry?  It's lay persons.  Who are the ministers of the Church?  The emphasis isn't on the people with the collars, the emphasis is on all of you.  The primary vows of Christian Ministry aren't ordination vows, they are baptismal vows. Every time we have a baptism, we say the Baptismal Covenant, which includes the Apostle's Creed, and then a series of questions.  Will you continue in the Apostle's teaching and fellowship?  Will you proclaim the Good News by word and example?  Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons? Will you respect the dignity of every human being?  If you believe the words of the Creed, then you answer those questions by saying, "I will, with God's help."  The Baptismal Covenant is an if/then statement. This Sunday, after each service, we will have a new and improved version of our annual Ministry Fair in the Lower Narthex and Lightwell.  More than 25 ministries of The Falls Church will be represented there with detailed job descriptions for all kinds of ways you can get more involved. Have 2 hours a month to give?  2 hours a week?  Interested in social service work in our community?  Interested in small fellowship groups to get to know people? Want to get involved musically?  Have admin skills to share?  All those opportunities and more will be there on Sunday morning to help you "choose your own adventure" in ministry.  Our hope is that everyone will find some way to connect and go deeper with their faith. All of these opportunities are there to help you live into those Baptismal Covenant vows of fellowship, learning, service, and respect.  The kinds of things that Jesus tells us will lead to transformation in our lives and in the world.    After all, who are the primary ministers of the Church?   It's all of you. See you Sunday, Kelly