It is no small amount of chaos right now. We have the roll out of the church growth plan. There is the start of School, Sunday School, and Fall Sports. The steeple work just began again. We have or had a Brooks Barbecue. There is a denominational restructure happening all around the RCA. We are preparing to celebrate 225 years of our church’s life and ministry here in Hurley. And life in general is happening. This means we have all of our normal and abnormal commitments going on during and throughout the week.
But beneath all that chaos something is happening. The church, our church is doing things. Chaos in some cases can be scary, and stressful. However there are other times when it is a clear sign that something is about to or beginning to happen. And that isn’t to say that just because one of those things is true the other cannot be just as equally true. I mean just because you are paranoid and think that refs are out to get your team doesn’t mean that refs aren’t out to get your team.
Often when those two sides of chaos exist we tend to lean into and lean on the idea that chaos is always bad. But cant chaos and things happening also be a sign that God’s Spirit is with us? Just because we are uncomfortable and leery of what could happen doesn’t make what might happen an ominous or bad thing.
One of the significant challenges that can come is that when things get chaotic or challenging we go to that space where it is all negative and all bad. But think about when we were all children. Was Christmas Eve chaotic? Was it a time which left you worrying and excited at the same time? I remember one year I was so keyed up about Christmas that Christmas eve I had a migraine headache. Just because my anxiousness gave me that awful feeling doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a great Christmas. Somehow we are taught and learn that chaos or the presence of discomfort is always bad. But the reality is that those two things are always in some level present when the Holy Spirit is at work.
Over the next few months and into next year there is going to be a measure of Chaos. I want to make a promise that it will be a managed chaos or a controlled form of it. But the truth is I’d be breaking that promise the second I made it. You can no more control the chaos of the Spirit as you can catch the wind with a butterfly net. What we can do, is pray and set our discomfort at God’s feet. We can also let the chaos be, let God move and when the Spirit calls you be ready, willing and able to go to work. So Brothers and Sisters know that chaos is here and more is coming. But understand that it is a good kind of chaos which the spirit brings to us. Please pray for all of us as we embrace being uncomfortable as the spirit churns up our lives.
Blessings to you all
Rev Bill