Servants United Parish

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a habitable land; they ate manna, until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. Exodus 16:35

I’ve been reading a business book recently, in preparation for a continuing education class on leadership in times of transition in the Church. It’s interesting to me that this business book used a story from the Bible to talk about the challenges of significant transition. The people of Israel – freed from slavery in Egypt – spent 40 years in the wilderness before entering the promised land. The author of this text wrote this about the story most of us know pretty well:

“Moses took care of transition’s ending phase when he led his people out of Egypt, but it was the 40 years in the (wilderness) that got Egypt out of his people.” William Bridges, Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change

Being in this “in between” place is hard. Not what was. Not yet what will be. Using the biblical story – not in Egypt, but not yet in the promised land. In the wilderness. I suspect that is a rather apt description of the challenge of being Church in these days. We can look back at what was and see that we are no longer that. But neither are we in a “new normal” yet. No longer in Egypt but not yet in the promised land.

And that is hard. Transitions are always hard, but especially so when we cannot even see clearly what it is that we are transitioning to. Not surprisingly, many of the Israelites began to lose heart in the wilderness. God gave them food (manna) which was good for a while, but then it became boring, and the people began to complain. Quail. Good for a while, but then boring. God’s law. Good for a while, until a golden calf seemed more tangible. The people even began to wish they had never left Egypt. “Sure, we were slaves, but at least we had meat and drink…”

Maybe we aren’t that different from the people of Israel. We remember the days of old – Sunday School classrooms filled with children, fuller church sanctuaries, etcetera. It’s common to remember the past with nostalgia and longing. But of course, we tend to view that past through rose colored glasses. Things weren’t always as wonderful as we remember them. There was much about the church of my childhood that I am glad is no longer. Perhaps if you are honest, you may remember some less than wonderful aspects of life in the (40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s, ???).

The people of Israel complained – or grumbled. Sometimes we do too. But the wilderness served an important purpose. In the wilderness, the people had to rely on God – not on their Egyptian masters – or even their own labor and initiative.  I wonder if that is a lesson that we too may need to learn again. Reliance on God.

It’s important to acknowledge that any transition is hard. Transitions when we cannot see clearly our destination – even more so. We are not in the past any longer. That transition has occurred. But maybe we need to learn to rely on God so that “the past” is no longer so deeply ingrained in us. And how can we rely on God? Well, I think we can start with prayer. With taking some time from our busy lives to very intentionally listen for God’s voice.  That’s a ministry that doesn’t require a big financial commitment, doesn’t require fancy buildings, or even require pastors! What it does require is an open heart and mind, and a willingness to listen for God’s voice. Maybe that’s what we really need as we journey together in this time of wilderness. No longer in Egypt but not yet in the promised land.

Blessings,

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 FRIENDLY REMINDER - OVER COMMUNICATE            

One thing that will be super helpful is to over communicate. If you think someone knows your pastoral care needs and prayer requests, that may not be the case. If you are hospitalized, please know that the hospital no longer notifies the church, despite you sharing your religious information. This information that once was communicated by the hospital to spiritual leaders no longer is. 

If you have a prayer request of pastoral need, please do two things:

1. Notify your church secretary or Servants United Parish Administrative Assistant Cassie Roach.

2. Notify Pastor Rich Likeness and Pastor Dave Castner.

This will allow us to know how we can meet your needs and know what and how to pray with and for you.