Friday, February 1

Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 22; Isaiah 49:1-12; Luke 4:31-37; 1 Corinthians 4:14-21; Psalm 36

Not too long ago, I was reminded of the differences between a traditional approach toward church and an emergent/emerging approach toward church. I was in a clergy cluster when a senior member started critiquing recent trends in the church. He bemoaned the fact that clergy members were increasingly shirking their leadership duties and were actually (gasp!) relying on lay people to help set the direction for the local church. The horror! As I listened to my colleague rail about what he perceived to be this dangerous trend, I smiled. My colleague obviously didn’t realize the depths of my own commitment to empower lay persons. And where does my heretical commitment to lay empowerment come from? Largely from places like this morning’s reading from 1 Corinthians. Eugene Peterson paraphrases 1 Corinthians 4:20 as follows: “God’s Way is not a matter of mere talk; it’s an empowered life.” Isn’t that an amazing way to characterize God’s Way – an empowered life! That phrase reminds me how easy it would have been for the Creator of the Universe to establish a dynamic whereby we (God’s creatures) would have been merely automatons entirely dependent upon our Creator - never having to think or reason for ourselves. And yet thankfully God went another route – a route that invites each of us to serve intentionally as co-creators with God as we work to usher in the Reign of God. Empowerment indeed! Today, I invite you to celebrate the empowered life God has gifted us with by doing the most appropriate thing imaginable: spend a little time and energy empowering another. Til next time…