Exec meeting. Council
meeting. Various committee meetings.
Visit parishioners. Write
sermon. Finish Installation
bulletin. Start next week’s sermon.
Review bulletin. Return E-mails. Be installed.
Contact new visitors. Write
Messenger Article. Check one box then
add two more. The cycle continues.
I do my best to keep a running to-do list. I maintain a notebook that has notes from
various meetings, observations and ideas, and above all my to-do lists. But as quickly as I complete one task, two
more take its place. As the list grows
and evolves so does the need to prioritize and re-assess, weighing what is most
important or most urgent. So I create a
new list, reorganizing again and again, prioritizing the various tasks. I know that I make the list, but somehow the list seems to have power over me.
I think the revolving to-do list is indicative of life, constantly
adding and completing tasks. Work
project due. Kid’s practice. Bill due.
Doctor’s appointment. Write paper.
One task after the other we become beholden to our endless to-dos,
organizing and prioritizing our lists, day after day, week after week. We all have lists, whether we write them down
or not. And before we know it we’re
stuck in a rut or routine, a metaphorical plateau. We move from task to task, checking items off
one at a time.
In January my family was in town for the installation
service. One afternoon I was talking
with my dad, reflecting on the first few months of ministry at St. Mark’s. I shared with him the many conversations,
visitations, projects, and meetings that have taken place already. As I shared my experiences I began to realize
that the most meaningful, spiritual, and faithful ministry moments have not been
on my to-do list. They happen during the
in-between moments of my various tasks.
They happen outside of my self-assessed priorities. No matter how organized I try to be, and despite
my efforts to plan and anticipate, the most meaningful moments of ministry
happen in the unexpected, unprompted, and unplanned moments of my day.
Certainly it is no surprise to me that God seems most active and
most present when I least expect or anticipate it. After all we have a rich Biblical history of
God being present in the most unexpected times and places. Maybe I need to start adding blank lines to
my to-do lists as intentional reminders to be open to God’s unique timing.
If we’re not careful and attentive then our church calendar and lectionary
cycle can lure us into a rut and routine of “checklist” Sundays. Reformation—Check. All Saints—Check. Advent—Check.
Christmas Eve—Check. Ash
Wednesday—Check. Easter—Check. Too often our tendency is to countdown from
one major Christian holiday to the next—from one festival Sunday to the
next. And although there is much to be
gained spiritually from these major Sundays, God is at work during the
in-between time too. For instance, each
Sunday of Epiphany (between Christmas and Lent) is filled with a new revelation
of Jesus in the world. Each week is an
opportunity to reflect on the manifestation of Jesus in our lives in a new
way. During Lent we not only countdown
to Easter, but we spend several weeks intentionally wrestling with our sins,
our mortality, and our need for a savior.
This year I invite you to (re)invest in the in-between
moments. I intend to start with Lent. Between the tasks of Ash Wednesday and Easter
Sunday, I invite you to be intentionally present and open to God’s work during
the in-between time. Be alert and
receptive to the Spirit’s work in the unexpected, unprompted, and unplanned
moments. I invite you to make the
in-between time a priority this Lenten season.
Lent 2018 – Worship
Opportunities
Feb. 13—Shrove Tuesday Breakfast
Feb. 14—Ash Wednesday Service (12 and 7pm)
Feb. 21, 28; Mar. 7, 14, 21—Midweek dinner (5:00-6:15pm) and
worship (6:30pm)
Mar. 29—Maundy Thursday (7:00pm)
Mar. 30—Good Friday (7:00pm)
Mar. 31—Easter Vigil (7:00pm)
April 1—Easter Sunday (9:30am)
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