Empty and Meaningless

Here is another reflection which marries the Gospel with a key Landmark distinction. This time the distinction is "empty and meaningless."


Pastor’s Ponderings – Chapter One: Empty and Meaningless

Here at First Congregational United Church of Christ we are in the midst of a great undertaking. We strive to build the church. We strive to build the church not by predictable increments, but through a series of breakthroughs in church life to produce a vibrant and thriving church with several times as many worshippers and several times as many pledging units as we have today. We strive not to do this over a decade, but over the next year or two. This is a great undertaking indeed and we might not succeed. If we do succeed we can then write a book and tell the world how we did it. Today as the Pastor’s Ponderings for this month I offer the first chapter of the book.

In order to build a church in the volcanic way that we strive to build this church we will have to take many small steps. The very first two steps might be called empty and meaningless. There is an old story in which a man journeys far to meet a spiritual teacher and become enlightened. Upon his arrival the teacher greets him graciously and invites him to sit with him for a cup of tea. When the tea is ready the spiritual teacher picks up the teapot and begins filling the man’s cup. He doesn’t stop pouring tea when he reaches the top and tea runs out all over the table and soon all over the floor. Finally the man exclaims, "Stop! What are you doing! Tea is running all over the floor."

Then the spiritual teacher says, "The cup is you. You come asking for knowledge, but your mind is already full. You will have to create an empty space for anything new."
When we say we want to build a new church here in this place we must first clear the area of the church of the past. In order to create the possibility of a new way of being we will have to empty the future. Many times when people or organizations set out to do a new thing they are stymied by all of the memories of past actions and attitudes. In our church we are lucky in one way. Most of the people who attended this church twenty years ago have moved on. Those remaining must examine themselves and find completion with the past so that we don’t navigate on autopilot into a future dictated by that past. The past is a long story which has brought the church to a desperate place. Let’s complete the past and create an emptiness into which we can create a bright and shining future.

We must remember as we strive to create this new church that whether we succeed or not is meaningless. In one way this is very good news. Our goodness as people, as leaders and as a church is not at stake. If the church dies it will not mean that we are bad people, bad Christians or bad leaders. It will not mean that Progressive Christianity is lost. If the church dies it will not mean any of these things. So, the pressure is off and we can relax and accomplish the tasks that will cause the building to succeed.

The other thing is also true. If the building project is successful it will not mean that we are better people, better Christians or better leaders. When we write our book telling how we did it the first chapter had better say that we did not do it. It will be our job to invite as many people as we can, draw as much attention as possible, create as vibrant and attractive a church life as we can. God, in the form of the Holy Spirit, will use these efforts according to the plan that we see today dimly and may someday see in full. My faith is very firm that God’s plan will always succeed.

Let us begin at once to step into the empty and meaningless future in which we are co-creating with God a shining UCC church here in Forks.

Peace,
Pastor Bill