The other night, I was watching one of the reality competition shows that we like to watch. You know how these kinds of shows go: different performers dance or sing in front of judges, who are looking for certain things or movements.
Melissa got done working three nights in a row earlier in the week. It is hard to believe it, but three nights is all it takes for a body to develop a pattern. The fourth night, her body was ready to stay up all night, even though her mind was tired. The result was that it took her a long time to fall asleep. Meanwhile, the rest of us Gallmans had formed patterns for our life together: in how we went to sleep, in how we woke up, and who I made my S.O.S. calls to (my parents).
When Melissa’s work stretch was finished, there were two life patterns (Melissa’s and the rest of our family) that had to figure out how to work together. Our challenge of merging lives is not unique. It is the same challenge that engaged couples face as they cross the threshold of marriage, and it is the same challenge that two companies face when they decide to merge. Over a couple of days, our family was able to work out the different patterns and “get on the same page.” How? We did it, and we do it, because we are held by a bond and a promise that we made to each other, just like a married couple makes their wedding vows, and just like two companies are held together by legal agreements.
Of course you can tell by now that this thought has connections to church life, even our church life at Central. We have more than two patterns that have to “get on the same page:” there are the “mission first” people and there are the “spiritual growth first” people. There are “sell camp” people and “keep camp” people. There are “traditional music only” and there are “contemporary music only” people. There are “Marchmanites” and there are “Hal had his flaws” people. So the question is, what is the bond that will hold the people of Central together, and help us to navigate the waters we are currently in? Unlike a marriage commitment or a legal document, we draw together voluntarily for church.
So what can hold us together? The answer, as we are discovering in the Dawnings process, is two-fold. First, we must let go of whichever designations are true of us. For example, we need to let go of being a “traditional only” or “contemporary only” music person. In other words we need to develop what St. Ignatius called “Holy Indifference to the Outcome” that issues and others bring up. Second, we must commit ourselves to listening and following the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit only, which requires a commitment to prayer and listening for God’s presence. Committing to these two things creates a sense of cause that allows the different life and faith patterns that make up our church to navigate our way forward, and stay on the same page.
Blessings to you in worship today. Sonny