Live it and they will come
Commentary
Object:
Remember the movie, Field of Dreams? Kevin Costner plays the lead role of an Iowa farmer named Ray Kinsella who is haunted by a voice that says to him, "Build it and they will come." After several sleepless nights Ray (Kevin) finally figures out what "it" is --"it" is a baseball diamond. Ray, much to the consternation of his wife, begins plowing down his cornfield and spends what little money the family has to build a lighted ball field -- in the middle of Iowa!
Once built, players from the infamous 1919 Chicago Black Sox baseball team begin to show up. The team had thrown a World Series game that year and were banished for life from baseball. Ray's field was their chance at redemption and Ray's chance to confront the demons of a bad relationship with his father. The quirky idea of a ball field in the middle of the corn belt strikes a chord with folks and soon people are driving from all over to watch the games in Ray's field of dreams.
For several months following the movie's release, the mantra, "Build it and they will come," seemed to crop up everywhere. Discussion groups formed to debate the relative merits of the philosophy encapsulated in "build it...." Church growth consultants used the mantra to encourage facility construction. Church growth consultants used the mantra to discourage facility construction. Anyone with a dream was using the premise of the movie to pursue his or her dream, abandoning all sense of rationality. "Build it and they will come" became the magic talisman for the early 1990s.
Today's texts seem to offer a divergent view to the "build it and they will come" mentality. The alternative suggestion presented by these texts is "live it and they will come."
Acts 2:42-47
Statistics fairly consistently confirm that those persons with more limited resources are proportionally more generous with what they have than are folks whose resources are greater. That factor may seem to explain part of the reason why some members of the early church pooled their resources and lived a communal lifestyle. Historians remind us that the vast majority of those who were attracted to the Jesus movement in its formative years came from the day laborers and underclass of Roman society. Not having much to begin with, these early believers found joint ownership and mutual care to be not only practical, but also in keeping with the ethic of their newly discovered faith.
It is also important to note that at this stage in its development, the Jesus movement was still a sub-group within Judaism. The leaders were practicing Jews, the congregation was made up of practicing Jews (v. 46), and the One whom they called Lord lived his life as a practicing Jew. The Jesus movement would not become Christianity as we know it until late first century to mid second century.
In the first lesson text, there is a pattern of the believers' life together. What I want to call attention to is how such a life was attractive to their fellow citizens and co-religionists. This community of Jesus people enjoyed the goodwill of all (v. 47) and day-by-day folks were flocking to become a part of this generous, caring, joy-filled community. They had no money to build; they had no "it" to build. All they had was a confident and loving faith in Jesus Christ and as they lived out of that faith people came.
1 Peter 2:19-25
Being a follower of Jesus when 1 Peter was written could not have been an all-around pleasant experience. Whatever inner joy and satisfaction came as a result of one's faith relationship with Christ and communal relationship with other believers was offset by the difficult physical life many believers experienced. Once again, Peter feels compelled to offer a word of encouragement to those whose lives are harsh, ugly, brutish, and short.
Today's epistle lesson begins in the middle of Peter's instructions to slaves who are also believers. If the believing community of Acts 2 was indicative of the larger Jesus movement, then it should come as no surprise that slaves would be attracted to these faith communities. Here they experienced an equality of personhood, reciprocal sharing, and an opportunity to discover and employ spiritual gifts that were not available to them in their secular responsibilities. We can well imagine a slave leaving the caring community of faith after a time of worship and prayer and returning to the near impossible conditions of his master. Having experienced a taste of equality it was difficult to return to the status of a slave. Not a few slaves, no doubt, rebelled against their masters, desiring fairer and more humane treatment.
Like Paul before him, Peter did not attempt to take on the master-slave arrangement within society, rather he confined himself to encouraging the slave to endure the pain inflicted upon him/her as a way of identifying with Christ and to live in such a way that all pain inflicted was unjustly administered. By so doing the slave was enjoying the approval of God.
There is something about Peter's admonition that makes us moderns uncomfortable. Why should one accept an inferior status when something can be done to challenge that status? Doesn't this sound a lot like something those in power would say to the powerless? What kind of world would this be if everyone simply accepted their place in society as an unalterable reality? Does Peter's admonition really make sense in the twenty-first century?
A careful look at this passage helps us to see that these questions are really missing the point. Peter is not arguing social science; he is trying to preserve the integrity of the Jesus movement. His argument would run something like this: You have embraced the forgiveness and grace offered to you through Jesus Christ. You have accepted membership into the community that identifies itself with belief in Jesus. You have made a public confession that Jesus is your Lord. Therefore, you have taken upon yourself the commitment to a certain lifestyle -- one that honors the movement and that holds the reputation of Jesus in high regard. Whatever you do, however you live, remember what others think of Jesus is what they see in you. So live a life that meets with God's approval and allow the example of Jesus to be your guide.
Peter concludes this passage by reminding his readers just what that model of Jesus is all about. Like a slave who acts with justice, Jesus committed no wrong. When Jesus was mistreated unjustly, he did not speak ill of his adversary. When he was attacked, he did not retaliate in word or deed. Rather he sought God's approval by carrying that abuse upon his body while simultaneously forgiving the abuser. That is the example we should follow. That is the life we should live. That is the witness we should bear.
John 10:1-10
For all of its popularity and familiar imagery, today's gospel lesson is not an easy one to fully understand. We should not be embarrassed to admit this; even the original hearers who understood the context and could pick up non-verbal clues as to meaning did not understand what Jesus was trying to say (v. 6). This is not the only teaching that Jesus' followers had difficulty understanding; they needed an explanation of the parable of the sower; they needed Jesus to be clearer about what was meant by the near impossibility of the rich getting into the kingdom of heaven; and they never did catch on until after the fact about what Jesus was trying to say in regards to laying down his life. So if we come to this text with a bit of uncertainty, we are in good company.
What makes this passage difficult to understand is that we are not sure who John would have us believe the antagonists are. This teaching follows hard on the heels of Jesus' confrontation with the Pharisees over Jesus' healing of a blind man on the sabbath. Are we to understand that the Pharisees are the thieves and bandits of this text? If so, what is the other way by which they enter? In what way are they "strangers"? Also complicating the interpretation is Jesus' comment in verse 8 that all who came before him are thieves and bandits. Does that include Moses and the prophets? How are we to understand this reference to "all"?
One should use caution in making this text say more than it is actually saying. For instance, it would be more of a case of isogesis than exegesis to read Christian exclusivity in this text. One may believe that the Christian faith is the only God-approved faith, but this text cannot legitimately be used in one's arsenal of defense for this belief. Jesus seems to be speaking of true and false shepherds, not true and false belief systems.
A helpful background to this passage is Ezekiel 34 in which good and bad shepherds are also discussed. In John, the focus is on the care of the sheep (the people of God) -- it is their protection that is foremost in Jesus' concern. The shepherds are discussed in relation to how they tend to the sheep and to their ulterior motives in regarding the sheep.
The people of God (sheep) are in some sense vulnerable, that is, they depend upon an "authority" to help them understand the will and purpose of God. True, they have the Torah, but the Torah (like the Bible) often depends on a learned other to help lead the way to an appropriate understanding. Those learned others (authorities) can carry out their functions either with an eye on the needs of the people or with an eye to their own agendas. Those shepherds who receive the criticism of Jesus do not act with integrity (climb in by another way); speak not to lead, but to mislead (do not know the voice); and look to their own self-interest rather than the interest of the flock (come to steal, kill, and destroy).
Jesus, by contrast, and those guides who follow his example, deals straightforwardly with the people (enters by the gate); enjoys a relationship with the people in which each is known to the other (calls by name and leads them out); does not push the flock, but leads it (goes ahead of them); and is the source of their security (v. 9). The consequence of the false shepherds' leadership is emptiness and death. The consequence of Jesus' leadership is fullness and life.
Application
Nearly every pastor and most members wish to see their congregations grow. Some measure growth numerically, by the number of new members they add to the congregation. Others measure growth by the deepening commitment and spiritual life of those already members of the congregation. Both types of growth are legitimate and both are needed. The question is, how does such growth come about?
There are any number of church growth gurus with no shortage of advice and sure-fire methods to produce church growth. Most of these methods are a one-size-fits-all approach -- do this and this and this and this and growth will be automatic. Those of us who have tried these approaches know their shortcomings better than we know their success. And then there are the super church models. We have witnessed the phenomenal growth of places like Willow Creek and Saddleback and many congregations have rushed to emulate the worship style or the leadership structure in the hopes of following in their footsteps. What these wannabes soon discover, however, is that there is more at work in the Willow Creeks of this world than organization or technique.
So, if the church growth formulas are not dependable and if the Saddleback model works more on intangibles than replica tables, where does that leave the rest of us who are interested in church growth of one sort or another? Well, it leaves us with biblical models.
Look again at what worked for the early Jesus movement in Jerusalem. In addition to what most of us do already -- Bible studies, church-wide fellowships, potluck dinners, and prayers (v. 42) -- they took community responsibility seriously. These believers were generous with their possessions. They were aware of and attentive to the individual needs around them. They gladly welcomed to their fellowship not only each other, but the stranger as well. They did not wear their piety on their sleeve for all to notice; rather they wore their piety in their heart for all to benefit. Because they focused outwardly as well as inwardly, on each other as much as on themselves, and were just as glad-hearted meeting the needs of another as they were worshiping in the temple, folks with yearning hearts joined their number every day. Instead of talking about their faith, they lived their faith and in the living of it, people came.
Consider again what worked for the churches to which Peter wrote his letter. In spite of graver circumstances than most of us will ever face, the community of Peter practiced the example of Jesus Christ. When treated unjustly, they did not try to clothe their retaliation in religious language; rather they endured the injustice as a testimony to the example of Jesus. When life was not going the way that they had hoped, they did not take matters into their own hands and attempt to control their own destinies; rather they entrusted themselves to the grace and mercy of God. When they recognized the disparity between God's expectations and their own behavior, they did not rationalize their sinfulness; rather they returned to the shepherd and guardian of their souls. Consequently, in spite of all of the obstacles facing them, they prospered and grew. They lived their faith and in the living of it, people came.
Hear again what worked for the followers of Jesus in John's day. The most vulnerable, those most needing guidance and care, those who longed for safety and salvation, all of these came to understand the compassion of Jesus because those who went forth in Jesus' name put the needs of these ones ahead of their own. They did this not out of any sense of self-aggrandizement or self-interest, but merely because the Good Shepherd had done the same for them. And through this selfless care, their flock increased. They lived their faith and in the living of it, people came.
The secret to church growth, no matter how it is measured, is the living out of one's faith. If we live it, they will come.
Alternative Applications
Acts 2:42-47. An interesting sermon might be built around why modern-day Christians are uncomfortable with the communal image of this early gathering of believers. What does that type of lifestyle threaten within us? Why are we so quick to pass off that way of being together as unreasonable and unworkable? What does our discomfort say to us about the relative value of people and possessions in our lives?
1 Peter 2:19-25. In the comments above, little was made of what this passage had to say about Jesus directly. This passage is too rich to let this oversight go for long, so the preacher may want to focus more specifically on the example of Jesus in the midst of suffering and the implications of that for our faith and our understanding of the saving work of Christ.
John 10:1-10. Because most of us do not live in agrarian communities and those who do are probably not too acquainted with sheep, a worthwhile sermon could be developed that would help a congregation appreciate more fully the sheep-shepherd image.
Preaching the Psalm
Psalm 23
by Schuyler Rhodes
God will make you to lie down....
Overwork is epidemic in our culture today. The average number of hours worked by the average employee has risen significantly in the past twenty years. Where once a forty hour week was an accepted amount of labor, today many people work sixty and seventy hours a week. Often these hours are put in at more than one job. Real wages have dropped to such a degree that families who were once easily supported by one income now are barely covered by two.
The results of this overwork show up in stress levels and in the health of those who work too many hours. It decimates families and destroys marriages. It is an affliction that causes real pain and suffering across the landscape of our nation.
In this, we come to the words of this iconic psalm that few people notice. In this psalm the writer notes that "He makes me lie down in green pastures." From the folds of a psalm that tends to reveal a supportive and gentle God we see a God who insists that we lie down in green pastures.
There really isn't an option here. God will make us like down in green pastures. If we do not do this of our own volition, then illness and stress will find us prone and resting.
Sometimes options seem limited. With children and family responsibilities overlapping with ever-increasing work demands, when does rest come? How are we to find a space of peace and renewal when every moment is sucked dry with the many things that must be done? These are not silly questions.
Is this a place where Christian community might be helpful? Is the chronic overwork and weariness of our people a place where church folk might step up and make a difference? For young families caught in the vice grip of too much to do can a church community provide child care? Can church folk offer free family suppers where busy people don't have to make dinner and can find a welcoming space of fellowship?
Before God makes people lie down, maybe our churches could help them rest. Before people are injured by overwork and stress, maybe our churches can step up and provide some green pastures of fellowship and assistance?
It's not rocket science, and it is something that almost any church could undertake. A small thing, perhaps. But it's likely it won't seem small to the people who get a little rest in green pastures made available by a loving, attentive church community.
Once built, players from the infamous 1919 Chicago Black Sox baseball team begin to show up. The team had thrown a World Series game that year and were banished for life from baseball. Ray's field was their chance at redemption and Ray's chance to confront the demons of a bad relationship with his father. The quirky idea of a ball field in the middle of the corn belt strikes a chord with folks and soon people are driving from all over to watch the games in Ray's field of dreams.
For several months following the movie's release, the mantra, "Build it and they will come," seemed to crop up everywhere. Discussion groups formed to debate the relative merits of the philosophy encapsulated in "build it...." Church growth consultants used the mantra to encourage facility construction. Church growth consultants used the mantra to discourage facility construction. Anyone with a dream was using the premise of the movie to pursue his or her dream, abandoning all sense of rationality. "Build it and they will come" became the magic talisman for the early 1990s.
Today's texts seem to offer a divergent view to the "build it and they will come" mentality. The alternative suggestion presented by these texts is "live it and they will come."
Acts 2:42-47
Statistics fairly consistently confirm that those persons with more limited resources are proportionally more generous with what they have than are folks whose resources are greater. That factor may seem to explain part of the reason why some members of the early church pooled their resources and lived a communal lifestyle. Historians remind us that the vast majority of those who were attracted to the Jesus movement in its formative years came from the day laborers and underclass of Roman society. Not having much to begin with, these early believers found joint ownership and mutual care to be not only practical, but also in keeping with the ethic of their newly discovered faith.
It is also important to note that at this stage in its development, the Jesus movement was still a sub-group within Judaism. The leaders were practicing Jews, the congregation was made up of practicing Jews (v. 46), and the One whom they called Lord lived his life as a practicing Jew. The Jesus movement would not become Christianity as we know it until late first century to mid second century.
In the first lesson text, there is a pattern of the believers' life together. What I want to call attention to is how such a life was attractive to their fellow citizens and co-religionists. This community of Jesus people enjoyed the goodwill of all (v. 47) and day-by-day folks were flocking to become a part of this generous, caring, joy-filled community. They had no money to build; they had no "it" to build. All they had was a confident and loving faith in Jesus Christ and as they lived out of that faith people came.
1 Peter 2:19-25
Being a follower of Jesus when 1 Peter was written could not have been an all-around pleasant experience. Whatever inner joy and satisfaction came as a result of one's faith relationship with Christ and communal relationship with other believers was offset by the difficult physical life many believers experienced. Once again, Peter feels compelled to offer a word of encouragement to those whose lives are harsh, ugly, brutish, and short.
Today's epistle lesson begins in the middle of Peter's instructions to slaves who are also believers. If the believing community of Acts 2 was indicative of the larger Jesus movement, then it should come as no surprise that slaves would be attracted to these faith communities. Here they experienced an equality of personhood, reciprocal sharing, and an opportunity to discover and employ spiritual gifts that were not available to them in their secular responsibilities. We can well imagine a slave leaving the caring community of faith after a time of worship and prayer and returning to the near impossible conditions of his master. Having experienced a taste of equality it was difficult to return to the status of a slave. Not a few slaves, no doubt, rebelled against their masters, desiring fairer and more humane treatment.
Like Paul before him, Peter did not attempt to take on the master-slave arrangement within society, rather he confined himself to encouraging the slave to endure the pain inflicted upon him/her as a way of identifying with Christ and to live in such a way that all pain inflicted was unjustly administered. By so doing the slave was enjoying the approval of God.
There is something about Peter's admonition that makes us moderns uncomfortable. Why should one accept an inferior status when something can be done to challenge that status? Doesn't this sound a lot like something those in power would say to the powerless? What kind of world would this be if everyone simply accepted their place in society as an unalterable reality? Does Peter's admonition really make sense in the twenty-first century?
A careful look at this passage helps us to see that these questions are really missing the point. Peter is not arguing social science; he is trying to preserve the integrity of the Jesus movement. His argument would run something like this: You have embraced the forgiveness and grace offered to you through Jesus Christ. You have accepted membership into the community that identifies itself with belief in Jesus. You have made a public confession that Jesus is your Lord. Therefore, you have taken upon yourself the commitment to a certain lifestyle -- one that honors the movement and that holds the reputation of Jesus in high regard. Whatever you do, however you live, remember what others think of Jesus is what they see in you. So live a life that meets with God's approval and allow the example of Jesus to be your guide.
Peter concludes this passage by reminding his readers just what that model of Jesus is all about. Like a slave who acts with justice, Jesus committed no wrong. When Jesus was mistreated unjustly, he did not speak ill of his adversary. When he was attacked, he did not retaliate in word or deed. Rather he sought God's approval by carrying that abuse upon his body while simultaneously forgiving the abuser. That is the example we should follow. That is the life we should live. That is the witness we should bear.
John 10:1-10
For all of its popularity and familiar imagery, today's gospel lesson is not an easy one to fully understand. We should not be embarrassed to admit this; even the original hearers who understood the context and could pick up non-verbal clues as to meaning did not understand what Jesus was trying to say (v. 6). This is not the only teaching that Jesus' followers had difficulty understanding; they needed an explanation of the parable of the sower; they needed Jesus to be clearer about what was meant by the near impossibility of the rich getting into the kingdom of heaven; and they never did catch on until after the fact about what Jesus was trying to say in regards to laying down his life. So if we come to this text with a bit of uncertainty, we are in good company.
What makes this passage difficult to understand is that we are not sure who John would have us believe the antagonists are. This teaching follows hard on the heels of Jesus' confrontation with the Pharisees over Jesus' healing of a blind man on the sabbath. Are we to understand that the Pharisees are the thieves and bandits of this text? If so, what is the other way by which they enter? In what way are they "strangers"? Also complicating the interpretation is Jesus' comment in verse 8 that all who came before him are thieves and bandits. Does that include Moses and the prophets? How are we to understand this reference to "all"?
One should use caution in making this text say more than it is actually saying. For instance, it would be more of a case of isogesis than exegesis to read Christian exclusivity in this text. One may believe that the Christian faith is the only God-approved faith, but this text cannot legitimately be used in one's arsenal of defense for this belief. Jesus seems to be speaking of true and false shepherds, not true and false belief systems.
A helpful background to this passage is Ezekiel 34 in which good and bad shepherds are also discussed. In John, the focus is on the care of the sheep (the people of God) -- it is their protection that is foremost in Jesus' concern. The shepherds are discussed in relation to how they tend to the sheep and to their ulterior motives in regarding the sheep.
The people of God (sheep) are in some sense vulnerable, that is, they depend upon an "authority" to help them understand the will and purpose of God. True, they have the Torah, but the Torah (like the Bible) often depends on a learned other to help lead the way to an appropriate understanding. Those learned others (authorities) can carry out their functions either with an eye on the needs of the people or with an eye to their own agendas. Those shepherds who receive the criticism of Jesus do not act with integrity (climb in by another way); speak not to lead, but to mislead (do not know the voice); and look to their own self-interest rather than the interest of the flock (come to steal, kill, and destroy).
Jesus, by contrast, and those guides who follow his example, deals straightforwardly with the people (enters by the gate); enjoys a relationship with the people in which each is known to the other (calls by name and leads them out); does not push the flock, but leads it (goes ahead of them); and is the source of their security (v. 9). The consequence of the false shepherds' leadership is emptiness and death. The consequence of Jesus' leadership is fullness and life.
Application
Nearly every pastor and most members wish to see their congregations grow. Some measure growth numerically, by the number of new members they add to the congregation. Others measure growth by the deepening commitment and spiritual life of those already members of the congregation. Both types of growth are legitimate and both are needed. The question is, how does such growth come about?
There are any number of church growth gurus with no shortage of advice and sure-fire methods to produce church growth. Most of these methods are a one-size-fits-all approach -- do this and this and this and this and growth will be automatic. Those of us who have tried these approaches know their shortcomings better than we know their success. And then there are the super church models. We have witnessed the phenomenal growth of places like Willow Creek and Saddleback and many congregations have rushed to emulate the worship style or the leadership structure in the hopes of following in their footsteps. What these wannabes soon discover, however, is that there is more at work in the Willow Creeks of this world than organization or technique.
So, if the church growth formulas are not dependable and if the Saddleback model works more on intangibles than replica tables, where does that leave the rest of us who are interested in church growth of one sort or another? Well, it leaves us with biblical models.
Look again at what worked for the early Jesus movement in Jerusalem. In addition to what most of us do already -- Bible studies, church-wide fellowships, potluck dinners, and prayers (v. 42) -- they took community responsibility seriously. These believers were generous with their possessions. They were aware of and attentive to the individual needs around them. They gladly welcomed to their fellowship not only each other, but the stranger as well. They did not wear their piety on their sleeve for all to notice; rather they wore their piety in their heart for all to benefit. Because they focused outwardly as well as inwardly, on each other as much as on themselves, and were just as glad-hearted meeting the needs of another as they were worshiping in the temple, folks with yearning hearts joined their number every day. Instead of talking about their faith, they lived their faith and in the living of it, people came.
Consider again what worked for the churches to which Peter wrote his letter. In spite of graver circumstances than most of us will ever face, the community of Peter practiced the example of Jesus Christ. When treated unjustly, they did not try to clothe their retaliation in religious language; rather they endured the injustice as a testimony to the example of Jesus. When life was not going the way that they had hoped, they did not take matters into their own hands and attempt to control their own destinies; rather they entrusted themselves to the grace and mercy of God. When they recognized the disparity between God's expectations and their own behavior, they did not rationalize their sinfulness; rather they returned to the shepherd and guardian of their souls. Consequently, in spite of all of the obstacles facing them, they prospered and grew. They lived their faith and in the living of it, people came.
Hear again what worked for the followers of Jesus in John's day. The most vulnerable, those most needing guidance and care, those who longed for safety and salvation, all of these came to understand the compassion of Jesus because those who went forth in Jesus' name put the needs of these ones ahead of their own. They did this not out of any sense of self-aggrandizement or self-interest, but merely because the Good Shepherd had done the same for them. And through this selfless care, their flock increased. They lived their faith and in the living of it, people came.
The secret to church growth, no matter how it is measured, is the living out of one's faith. If we live it, they will come.
Alternative Applications
Acts 2:42-47. An interesting sermon might be built around why modern-day Christians are uncomfortable with the communal image of this early gathering of believers. What does that type of lifestyle threaten within us? Why are we so quick to pass off that way of being together as unreasonable and unworkable? What does our discomfort say to us about the relative value of people and possessions in our lives?
1 Peter 2:19-25. In the comments above, little was made of what this passage had to say about Jesus directly. This passage is too rich to let this oversight go for long, so the preacher may want to focus more specifically on the example of Jesus in the midst of suffering and the implications of that for our faith and our understanding of the saving work of Christ.
John 10:1-10. Because most of us do not live in agrarian communities and those who do are probably not too acquainted with sheep, a worthwhile sermon could be developed that would help a congregation appreciate more fully the sheep-shepherd image.
Preaching the Psalm
Psalm 23
by Schuyler Rhodes
God will make you to lie down....
Overwork is epidemic in our culture today. The average number of hours worked by the average employee has risen significantly in the past twenty years. Where once a forty hour week was an accepted amount of labor, today many people work sixty and seventy hours a week. Often these hours are put in at more than one job. Real wages have dropped to such a degree that families who were once easily supported by one income now are barely covered by two.
The results of this overwork show up in stress levels and in the health of those who work too many hours. It decimates families and destroys marriages. It is an affliction that causes real pain and suffering across the landscape of our nation.
In this, we come to the words of this iconic psalm that few people notice. In this psalm the writer notes that "He makes me lie down in green pastures." From the folds of a psalm that tends to reveal a supportive and gentle God we see a God who insists that we lie down in green pastures.
There really isn't an option here. God will make us like down in green pastures. If we do not do this of our own volition, then illness and stress will find us prone and resting.
Sometimes options seem limited. With children and family responsibilities overlapping with ever-increasing work demands, when does rest come? How are we to find a space of peace and renewal when every moment is sucked dry with the many things that must be done? These are not silly questions.
Is this a place where Christian community might be helpful? Is the chronic overwork and weariness of our people a place where church folk might step up and make a difference? For young families caught in the vice grip of too much to do can a church community provide child care? Can church folk offer free family suppers where busy people don't have to make dinner and can find a welcoming space of fellowship?
Before God makes people lie down, maybe our churches could help them rest. Before people are injured by overwork and stress, maybe our churches can step up and provide some green pastures of fellowship and assistance?
It's not rocket science, and it is something that almost any church could undertake. A small thing, perhaps. But it's likely it won't seem small to the people who get a little rest in green pastures made available by a loving, attentive church community.
