Lean Towards the Divine

I preached from Ephesians yesterday.

I learned Ephesus is a city of great size, rich with money, opportunity, and resources. Its church also has resources and opportunities for growth. But it’s small. Its direction is shaky and the people are full of anxiety.

I think all churches get this way. Over the past few weeks I’ve been reading the history of my own church.

What once started as a growing community full of resources, energy, and optimism has now turned into a congregation that may or may not feel up to the challenges of our day. We think we lack resources, we think we lack young energy, and we talk with a pessimistic discourse.

And perhaps for good reason.

Our last few years have been rocky. We’ve had ministers split the church and incredible ministry initiatives put to rest. We stare now at mounds of debt and mounds of anxiety. We aren’t as confident in our identity as we used to be and we don’t feel as up to the challenges that lie ahead. We say we minister but to whom and for what? What is our mission? We say we serve but who is it that is being blessed by us?

The church in Ephesus is asking the same thing! They have loads of resources but aren’t sure how to use them. They have loads of important people but aren’t sure how to connect with them. They have loads of opportunity but aren’t sure how to focus them. They say their Christian but do little for God’s kingdom. They’re trapped in their own ontological anxiety fearful of change, fearful to stay the same, and fearful their worst nightmares will come true – that they will be ineffective.

And we're the same way.

So what is the answer? Do we sit in our ontological anxiety fearing the worst? Or do we look up, lean towards the divine with a faith that says it’s always darkest before dawn?

The Apostle Paul hopes for the latter . . . so do I.

And that's one of the main roles of a pastor - helping others see the need to lean towards the divine.