From the Rector's Study
LOOKING BACKWARDS, LOOKING FORWARD
I was listening to coverage of the primaries in early January, and one candidate said, “God has a plan for me and he has a plan for each and every one of you.” As we move forward in our discernment of a vision and mission for St. Aidan?s, I?m aware of this feeling of trying to figure out what God is calling us to do. There is, however, a big difference between God?s “Plan” and God?s call to us.
Martin
Smith in his lecture “Co-Creators
with God” (sadly
no longer available) tells us
that many people want a peak
in the holy file cabinet. There
is this idea that God has our
lives all planned out for us
from beginning to end. People
like this politi-cian want to
find their file, open it up
and then expect that some sort
of road map for their lives
will be found inside. Then all
we have to do is follow the
map or the plan and our life
will be great. The concept is
based on the idea that God had
a wonderful plan for this person?s
life all laid out. The task
is to guess what that is. I
do not believe that this is
the correct question. The question
is not what is God?s plan for
us, but what is God?s call?
Martin
points out that this is not
how God operates. There is
no concrete plan that begins
at our birth and runs until
we die with every step planned
out. He teaches that we are
co-creators with God in our
lives and the lives of those
around us. God calls us in
certain directions and we
have the choice to respond
or to head somewhere else.
God again will meet us and
call to us and again we have
a choice about what type of
life we want to co-create
with God. The challenge is
to listen to where God is
leading and then responding
in a way that coincides with
God?s desire for us.
This
is true for congregations
as
well as for individuals.
God
is calling us to reach out
to the people of our community
to make God?s presence known
to all. A simple mission
statement
is to know Christ and make
Christ known. That is the
mission
of all churches. How we live
into that is what we are
in
the process of discerning.
The nature and way in which
God is calling us to make
his son known is what our
vision and mission is all
about.
Over
the next few months the Vision
Team will be planning several
events and meetings to invite
you to be co-creators with
God in a wonderful future for
St. Aidan?s. The plan is never
finished, it is always a work
in progress. We are on the
path even though we may not
know clearly where we are headed.
That we are seeking to serve
God fulfills one of God?s great
de-sires.
When
God disturbs you, breaks
into
your life — just
when everything seemed nice
and comfortable — be
thankful — for
that is God’s
Epiphany to you. –Br.
Geoffrey Tristram SSJE
For
a more in depth look at God?s
call to our Parish, please
go to the sermon
page on
the
website and read the January
15th “Are
You Talking to Me?” sermon.
Mark+
