Letter to the Editor: Supporting Youth With the Courage to Speak

(This letter was published in the Mecklenburg Sun, a weekly newspaper in my hometown of Clarksville, VA.)

To the Editor:                                                                                                  March 19, 2013

On March 18, I attended the Mecklenburg County School Board meeting. The key issue on the table was the schedule changes that are being implemented next year. Since I am not an educator, I do not know whether the changes will ultimately benefit or hurt our schools, but being in the room that night helped me to realize one very positive thing.

At least two dozen students from both Parkview and Bluestone High were present. About six of them had the courage to stand and speak during the public input time. Several talked about the band program, sharing how much it means to them and how the proposed changes might prevent them from continuing to participate. One shared similar concerns about the agriculture and automotive programs.

Each student spoke articulately and with passion, a testament to both the education they have been receiving and their own personal character and determination. They are not demonstrating the potential to be leaders, but the fact that they are already leaders. They are standing up to fight for what they believe is right, which is perhaps the most important lesson a young person can learn. I applaud all of the students who took time on a Monday night to sit through a School Board meeting and make their voices heard.

Again, I have no way of knowing whether the decision to change the schedule was the right decision, but I do know that I feel good about our future. I encourage these students not to get discouraged because this decision did not go their way. I hope you will stand and speak with just as much passion when the next issue that moves your heart comes along.

 

Sincerely,

Rev. James E. Moss

                                                                                                       

Stop and Start: 6 Ways For Churches To Rethink Evangelism

1) Stop hoping that a few signs around town, or an ad in the newspaper, or a snappy-looking website, or a banner saying "All Are Welcome!" is going to attract a lot of people.

Start telling people how much you love your church, why you are so excited about what God is doing there, and how much you would love them to be a part of it.

2) Stop telling young adults, "you ought to be in church." Most have no such feeling of obligation, so trying to appeal to one is not going to work.

Start talking to young adults about their spirituality and where they see God in their lives. Help them connect that to the life of the church.

3) Stop looking at other churches who are growing and thinking that the exact same programs and methods will work in your church.

Start emulating the spiritual habits of churches that are growing and the ways they have opened themselves to the Holy Spirit - which will bring growth, but may or may not lead to similar programs.

4) Stop spending your time and energy trying to maintain programs that nobody seems to have much enthusiasm for.

Start focusing resources on the places where the Spirit is moving and the people are inspired.

5) Stop measuring growth by the number of names on the membership rolls, or the number of people attending worship, or the number of dollars added to the budget.

Start measuring growth by celebrating the ways members are growing in their walk with Christ, and in the ways the church is witnessing to Christ's love in the world.

6) Stop thinking of the task of evangelism as "saving souls for Christ."

Start thinking of it as the task of sharing the good news about Christ and breaking down barriers that keep people from hearing it.

From The Pulpit: Do You Not Percevie it?

                 (This excerpt is from a sermon on Isaiah 43:16-21, preached on March 17, 2013)

 

 

"Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old.

I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?"  

 

Isaiah's words give us comfort for changing times, and get us motivated to move in response to the new reality that God is creating. Which really is remarkable, because so often our questions about change are questions about whether it should happen or whether God is present in the midst of it.

But Isaiah is asking a completely different question. He is seeing the changes that are already starting to happen, and he is recognizing God’s hand in them - which means that our task in changing times is not to look backwards, but rather to look around today, to discover places where God is working, and to go join in.

 It’s a beautiful reversal of the way we often think about change, but it does come with one caution. Isaiah is not telling us to embrace any and all changes, whether it be in the church or in the larger culture. We must understand that the new things we are looking for are the new things that God is working, not that are coming from the world.

And it’s not always easy to tell the difference. It takes a lot of prayer, a lot of discernment, and a lot of mutual forbearance for the body of Christ to know what to do in changing times. Fortunately, Isaiah gives us a little hint on how we can do that. At the end of today’s passages, he describes what the Godly changes in our world will bring:

“I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people.” What this means is that when a changing world makes us feel lost, God’s new thing will show us the way. And when a changing world leaves us thirsty and tired, God’s new thing will give us the sustenance that we need.

And here’s the hard part: In the new reality in which we live, we will miss out on God’s guidance and God’s care if we keep looking backward. This doesn’t mean that we don’t honor the past, or that we don’t preserve the things that we still need today. But what it does mean is that God is moving us forward, whether we want to go or not. Staying where we are is simply not an option.

And here’s the Good News: The past is still useful – not to return to, but to learn from and find inspiration in.  Think, for example, about the great historical witness of the Scriptures. Think of all the great characters who are lifted up for their willingness to trust God while God was doing a new thing: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Mary, and Paul – just to name a few. They all perceived a new thing that God was doing, and they went an joined in. Which is why we still study their stories today.

And then, of course, there’s the story that most completely represents this concept of trusting God to do a new thing. In fact, it is the very story that Isaiah’s prophecy points to – the story of Jesus Christ, and his death and resurrection. On this Fifth Sunday of Lent, as we are almost to the sacred season of Holy Week, reading this prophecy reminds us exactly what God is up to by sending his only Son to die.

In ways none of the Hebrew people could have predicted, Jesus is doing the ultimate new thing. He is fulfilling the covenant given to Abraham. He is accomplishing nothing less than the salvation of the world. He is bringing about the transformation upon which all of human history, and upon which each of our lives, will turn.

So on one level, Isaiah is asking us to look around today and see the new things that God is doing in our lives and in our communities. But in a much deeper way, he is calling us to once again see the great new thing that was done on the cross 2000 years ago, the one new thing that makes possible all of the other new things – the one that all people in all times  and in all places are called to go and join. So the questions is for us is the same as Isaiah’s question: Do we not perceive it?

Is It Time?

Is it time that we repent of our lack of faith that God will supply our needs?

Is it time that we stop making decisions out of anxiety and fear?

Is it time that we stop making decisions as if we, and not the Holy Spirit, have to be in control of things?

Is it time that we stop caring about how much money we have in the bank?

Is it time that we stop caring about how many people sit in our pews?

Is it time that we stop caring whether our institution will be around in 20 years, or 100 years, or tomorrow?

Is it time that we start caring more about the poverty and oppression which increasingly plague our communities?

Is it time that we stop fighting for justice for ourselves while we overlook greater injustices being inflicted on others?

Is it time that we stop viewing stewardship, or the careful management of resources, as such a good thing?

Is it time that we stop believing that God won't replenish, that God won't send manna tomorrow, even though God did today and yesterday and the day before that?

Is it time to be bold, even reckless, in using our vast resources to show the love and justice of Christ?

Is it time to realize that it is unholy for us to save so much for tomorrow when there is so much work to be done today?

Letter to the Board of Pensions

(In October of last year, the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church USA announced a new dues structure to ward off a projected shortfall in revenue. There was much protest to the proposed changes which would potentially place a greater burden on young ministers with families and small churches. In response, the Board pulled back on its plans, and has announced a spate of 5 options to be discussed and voted on in June of this year. Here is the short letter I would like to send to the Board, but feel it might be more appropriate to discuss in other venues:)


Dear Board of Pensions:

The Apostle Paul speaks quite eloquently of the call of Christians to be "in the world, but not of the world." Has the Board considered that all of the options for restructuring dues represent an "of the world" mentality - looking for answers in models adapted from the secular world of finance and insurance, and in models that in fact contribute to the profits of these companies?

This crisis in our pension and health care coverage presents our church with the opportunity to truly make a break and return to a Scriptural model of caring for one another. May I propose that one more option be added where the leaders of the church come together and pool their resources according to the example of Acts 4:32 - "All the believers were of one heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had."

What a witness it would be if the Presbyterian Church displayed to the world that we have made the same kind of commitment to one another as the earliest Christians did!"

In Christ,
Rev. Jim Moss

Sweet Tomatoes and Hallelujahs

Last spring, my 6-year old son Samuel became fascinated with the compost pile in our back yard. He helped me shovel the rich, dark compost and begin to mix it with the soil; he helped me plant the crops, water them, and watch them begin to grow; and by mid-summer, he was able to help me enjoy the delicious tomatoes and cucumbers that we harvested.

As we completed the cycle of a garden’s life, the light bulb finally went off in his head.  He began to eagerly look for new items to place in the compost. I had already explained to Samuel how compost worked, but he had to live through the whole process – from one tomato’s scraps going into the compost one year, and helping grow a new tomato the next year – to truly appreciate the beauty and the joy of the yearly cycle.

 

It’s the same way for us as we approach the celebrations of Holy Week. It’s one thing to learn about great traditions such as spiritual disciplines, special worship services, and the fact that we burn last year’s palms to make this year’s ashes. It’s another thing to actually carry out those traditions with faithful consistency. Just as Samuel didn’t fully understand the process of composting until he experienced the whole cycle - we can’t fully comprehend what Holy Week means until we actually live and taste the whole cycle of the season.

In other words, the movements of Lent and Holy Week require us to have more than an intellectual understanding of the process, and they require more than occasional adherence. We must have an understanding of the heart that, much like Samuel’s love for compost, is born through consistent devotion over time. I encourage each of us to embrace the full experience of Holy Week. I encourage us to make a priority of attending the services that are on the church calendar, as well as engaging in personal acts of service and devotion.

If we do, we will know the truth of the resurrection not only in our minds, but deep down in our core being. And the “Hallelujahs” we sing on Easter will taste sweeter than any tomato from the garden.

 

Spiritual Discipline: Breaking Away From The To-Do List

Writing a blogpost is the last thing I need to be doing right now. It's 8:30 on a Wednesday morning, and I'm staring at a full day that includes the following:

- An appointment with an elder to discuss some issues within her committee.
- Putting together the bulletin for Sunday's worship service.
- A funeral at 2:00 that I'm mostly ready for, but have some finishing touches to add.
- A Bible study tonight that I'm in no way prepared for.
- Sunday's sermon, which I'd like to get a handle on before the weekend arrives.
- Several health issues in the congregation that I need to catch up with.

All in all, it's a typical day in the life of a pastor, and I'm not complaining. This is the work I enjoy and feel called to. By the time choir practice is done at 8:30 in the evening, I will go home tired but fulfilled. Why, then, am I writing a blogpost this morning, when there is so much necessary and meaningful work on my plate?

I'm writing this as part of my new spiritual discipline. Despite all of these necessary and meaningful tasks that demand our time and energy, church leaders of today are called to something more. We are called to open up our time and our to-do lists, to allow our ministries to be re-formed - if not completely, at least in partial ways that are carried out with freedom and intentionality.

Let me explain what I mean. My father, who is also a minister, has maintained for years that ministry is never finished. There is never a point in the day when one can say, "Everything is done here, so I'm going home now." There is always one more phone call to make, one more nursing home patient to visit, one more Bible study to prepare for, etc, etc."

Perhaps the best self-care skill that a minister can develop is the ability to lay pressing business aside until another day, and just go home. This proper sense of balance between work time and personal time is what allows a minister to flourish and stay healthy.

In current times, when the church is struggling with issues of institutional decline and how to adapt in a rapidly changing culture, we are being called to break away from the busy tasks of the day for more reasons than self-care. The never-ending to-do lists of ministry can prevent us from being open and responsive to the new things the Holy Spirit is doing in our churches and our communities.

The full day of necessary and meaningful ministry tasks that I listed above is a day that, if I allowed it to be, would be a day lacking in Spirit-led surprises and spontaneity. Every item on that list is a ministry task I can perform competently and to the satsifaction of my church members, but that also will help perpetuate a way of being church that, in my opinion, needs to evolve.

Or to put it another way, the overwhleming busy-ness that is reality to most ministers can all too easily become the weeds that choke off the new growth the Spirit is trying to create. I could easily spend all day, every day maintiaining the church as it was in the previous century. Or, I can intentionally carve out space to allow the Spirit to do a new thing. And that is why I am writing this blogpost, even as I have so many pressing things to do.

My new spiritual discipline is this: Every day, for at least an hour, I will set aside the to-do list and the traditional tasks of minsitry, and I will take time to let the Spirit lead. Yesterday, I sat in my backyard and just listened. Today, I'm writing a blospost. Tomorrow, who knows?