{"id":4511,"date":"2022-08-28T16:08:26","date_gmt":"2022-08-28T16:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/2022\/08\/28\/the-art-of-choosing-what-to-do-with-your-life-as\/"},"modified":"2022-08-28T16:08:26","modified_gmt":"2022-08-28T16:08:26","slug":"the-art-of-choosing-what-to-do-with-your-life-as","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/2022\/08\/28\/the-art-of-choosing-what-to-do-with-your-life-as\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe Art of Choosing What to Do With Your Life as a Church\u201d\nbased on Jeremiah 2:4-13 & Luke 14:1, 7-14"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

I lack the patience and the
\ncommitment to read any newspaper or magazine cover to cover, but I do
\nscan headlines and read what looks interesting. \u00a0Two weeks ago there
\nwas an opinion piece in the New York Times entitled, \u201cThe Art of
\nChoosing What to Do With Your Life\u201d which caught my attention. \u00a0It
\nwas a plea for liberal arts education to include in their curriculum
\n\u201cinitiating students into a culture of rational reflection on how
\nto live\u201d.1<\/sup><\/a><\/sup>
\n I found myself both emphatically agreeing with their ideas about
\nhelping people make conscious decisions about how they wanted to live
\ntheir lives, and also getting a little bit offended at the idea that
\nthis is particularly the role of education and not faith. \u00a0But, once
\nI became aware of my sense of being offended, I realized that I’m
\nactually all for sharing and not being possessive over meaning
\nmaking. \u00a0Phew.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Also,
\nas I continued to read, I found myself laughing that the ways they
\nare teaching their students about building a meaningful life is by
\nusing one of the greatest teachers of the Christian tradition. \u00a0This
\nreally isn’t a competition! \u00a0They said:<\/p>\n

\n

Aquinas
\nusefully suggests that the ultimate objects of human longing can be
\nsorted into only eight enduring categories. If we want to understand
\nwhere we\u2019re headed, we should ask ourselves these questions: Am I
\ninterested in this opportunity because it leads to wealth? Or am I
\naiming at praise and admiration? Do I want enduring glory? Or power \u2014
\nto \u201cmake an impact\u201d? Is my goal to maximize my pleasures? Do I
\nseek health? Do I seek some \u201cgood of the soul,\u201d such as knowledge
\nor virtue? Or is my ultimate longing to come face-to-face with the
\ndivine?2<\/sup><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

The
\nauthors point out that some of those first options (wealth, praise)
\ndon’t work out to bring a satisfying life. \u00a0Now, having started
\nreading that article with both interest and caution, I came around to
\nthinking that it was a useful article for church too!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Because,
\nit occurred to me, those are valid questions for us too. \u00a0Both
\nindividually and collectively, but today I’m talking about
\ncollectively.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThe
\nArt of Choosing What to Do With Your Life as a Church\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Thinking
\nthat way, \u00a0we can eliminate some of the options. \u00a0We are not a church
\nso we can build wealth, be praised, gain glory, or simply maximize
\npleasure. \u00a0Occasionally I think we do want some power so we can make
\nan impact, but that isn’t an end goal in itself, and I think we know
\nthat. \u00a0I sometimes note that being part of a community is good for
\none’s health, and community connections are good for community
\nhealth, but that too is an aside and not a primary goal. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Which
\nis to say, that I think only the last two questions are likely to
\nhave significant resonance: \u00a0Do we seek some ‘good of the soul’ such
\nas knowledge or virtue? \u00a0Or, do we primarily seek to connect people
\nto the Divine? \u00a0I’d love to hear your answers and reflections on
\nthis. \u00a0I’m going to offer my best guess as to this community’s
\nanswer, but please note I’m ALSO wanting to hear what you think!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The
\nthing is, that I don’t think every church has the same reason for
\nexisting. \u00a0And I suspect our reasons may be quite different from the
\nnorm. \u00a0That is, I think many churches exist to make more Christians \u2013
\nas an end goal in itself, which for them is related to keeping people
\nout of hell. \u00a0This may be simply about saying a proscribed set of
\nwords, or may be about living a particular set of rules, but avoiding
\nhell is the end game. \u00a0Other churches exist, I think, to praise God.
\nThis strikes me as a far more worthy use of time and energy, but, if
\nI’m honest, not the one that resonates here. \u00a0(OK, I do think it is
\nbetter, but I also am not convinced it is a sufficient end it
\nitself.)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Around
\nhere we most often talk about our goal as \u201cbuilding the kindom of
\nGod,\u201d and I suspect that falls most directly under seeking good of
\nthe soul, with an awareness that connecting to the Divine is quite
\nimportant for building up the desire and capacity to build the
\nkindom. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Lee
\nTupper wrote convincingly that the point of the church is to
\n\u201coptimize prime values.\u201d \u00a0I’d take that to be another way of
\nsaying the thing about good for the soul. \u00a0Lee put it this way:<\/p>\n

A
\ndesirable function for the church is to aid in shaping personal value
\nsystems so that they are consistent with prime values. \u00a0The ultimate
\nobjective of this process is maximizing the degree to which the human
\nsystem evolves to ever-higher levels. \u2026 The function of the church
\nhere is a crucial one. \u00a0It
\ninvolves three major facets \u2013 the first is that of the promotion of
\nthe idea that a concern with this subject is important, \u00a0the second
\nis to help in the continued educational process necessary to
\nunderstand its implication and the third is to aid people in carrying
\nout the activities necessary to achieve these objectives.\u201d3<\/sup><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Lee
\nwas humble about naming the prime values themselves, but took as
\nexamples, love and justice which I’m entirely convinced are prime
\nvalues as well. \u00a0Love and justice, and I’m pretty sure compassion
\ntoo, are means toward the kindom. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It
\nturns out that this wondering about why we exist as a church and what
\nwe think we are aiming to do matters… say, rather a lot. \u00a0It
\nimpacts everything about what we do and how we make decisions, who we
\nare and who we seek to become. \u00a0It impacts what we are trying to do
\nwhen we worship, what I am trying to do when I preach, how we related
\nto our communities and neighbors, what we prioritize, and how we
\ndecide what to let go of. \u00a0 I think it also relates to how we
\nexperience and understand God and God’s wishes for us and our
\ncommunities and society. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The
\nArt of Choosing What to Do With Your Life as a Church matters quite a
\nlot.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I
\nthink this is obvious, but just to be sure, let’s look at an example.
\n If the primary goal of a church is to save people from going to hell
\nby having them profess a faith in Jesus, it would make sense that
\nthey’d put a lot of energy into evangelism, and teaching effective
\nevangelism, and that worship would be both focused on emphasizing how
\ngood it is to believe in Jesus and how bad it is in afterlife if one
\ndoesn’t. \u00a0Right? \u00a0It all follows.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

However,
\n\u201cbuilding the kindom of God\u201d is a really multifaceted thing. \u00a0It
\nis not as well defined as a goal as getting people to speak some
\nparticular phrase. \u00a0Even as we get clearer that building the kindom
\nis related to optimizing prime values, and that that means \u201cthe
\nfirst is that of the promotion of the idea that a concern with this
\nsubject is important, \u00a0the second is to help in the continued
\neducational process necessary to to understand its implication and
\nthe third is to aid people in carrying out the activities necessary
\nto achieve these objectives,\u201d
\nand even if we took as the three prime values love, justice, and
\ncompassion \u2013 we are still dealing with multifaceted ways forward. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How
\ndoes one build up love? \u00a0Is it best to start with one’s self and
\nbuild up self compassion? \u00a0Is it best to deepen relationships with
\nloved ones, and build up skills in good listening and communication?
\nIs it best to seek out new relationships particularly with people who
\nare different -and if so, people who are different HERE, or people
\nwho are different in another part of the country or world? \u00a0Or, do we
\nbest build up love by savoring the love of God and letting it
\ninfiltrate our lives? \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

You
\nsee how it isn’t entirely clear? \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This
\nhas been a struggle for this church for decades at least, a desire
\nfor better clarity of purpose and a reality that it is really
\ncomplicated. \u00a0But, I’d like to point something out that maybe hasn’t
\nbeen a sufficient part of this conversation. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What
\nthis church has been doing for these decades has WORKED. \u00a0How do I
\nknow? \u00a0Because this church is full of people of mature, thoughtful,
\ncareful, LOVING, JUSTICE-SEEKING, COMPASSIONATE faith. \u00a0Both those of
\nyou who have been here all along and those of you who arrived here
\nand discovered it fit who you are are living proof that something
\nhere is working. \u00a0People are becoming more loving, more
\njustice-oriented, more compassionate in their time \u00a0here. \u00a0These are
\nshared values. \u00a0These are lived values. \u00a0When we, as a church, make
\ndecisions, these are inherently in the conversations, and we end up
\ndiscussing how to best live them out.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I
\nhave seen very few other faith communities that so effectively build
\nup people of faith in these ways. \u00a0I admit to being a little confused
\nas to how it happens, because we definitely don’t have a linear
\neducational paradigm to develop it, but something here WORKS. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The
\nkindom of God is being built by this community and by the people of
\nthis community in the places they go. \u00a0We’re doing the stuff we want
\nto do! \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

We’re
\nliving our values! \u00a0We’re working with God! \u00a0We’re existing in a way
\nwe care about!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

THIS
\nIS AWESOME \u2013 and we should probably celebrate it more.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Those
\ndry cisterns of Jeremiah \u2013 those aren’t ours! We’re in the fountain
\nof living water. \u00a0Those exclusivist banquets that poor people can’t
\nattend because they can’t reciprocate? \u00a0Those aren’t ours. \u00a0We are
\nintentionally offering banquets for those who aren’t going to invite
\nus back. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A
\ncommentator on Luke said, \u201cExclusive fellowship required an
\nexclusive table, while inclusive fellowship required an inclusive
\none.4<\/sup><\/a><\/sup>\u201d
\n That was beautifully said, and seems to name another prime value
\naround here: inclusion. \u00a0We often ask ourselves about what inclusion
\nlooks like and how to create intersectional inclusion. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Dear
\nones, there are a lot of leaking, empty cisterns out there. \u00a0I’d lump
\nall of the competitive values of the world into those. \u00a0 But God is
\nfaithful. \u00a0There are a lot of ways to be church, and I’m not sure
\nours is the easiest, but it is a really great one, and it is WORKING.
\n We’re transforming each other into more loving, more just, more
\ncompassionate, more inclusive beings and taking those values and
\nskills into the world. \u00a0Or maybe we’re just making space together for
\nGod to do the changing \u2013 I really don’t know how it happens. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

We
\nare people of an inclusive fellowship, of taking the bottom seat, of
\ninviting everyone to the banquet. \u00a0And it matters. \u00a0And it is going
\nto keep mattering. \u00a0And maybe, just maybe, the fact that it isn’t
\nalways clear is part of how we have developed some skills at it \u2013
\nwe’ve had to struggle and that’s helped us grow. \u00a0Thanks be to God.
\nAmen<\/p>\n

Rev. Sara E. Baron
First United Methodist Church of Schenectady
603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305
Pronouns: she\/her\/hers
http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/<\/a>
https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FUMCSchenectady<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

August 28, 2022<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a>1<\/a>\u00a0 Benjamin
\n\tStorey and Jenna Silber Storey, \u201cThe Art of Choosing What to Do
\n\tWith Your Life\u201d in the New York Times, August 15, 2022.
\n\thttps:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/08\/15\/opinion\/college-students-happiness-liberal-arts.html<\/a>,
\n\taccessed again 8\/25\/2022<\/p>\n

2\u00a0 <\/a>Ibid.<\/p>\n

3<\/a>\u00a0 L.C.
\n\tTupper \u201cEschatology and Related Matters\u201d Nov. 20, 1976.<\/p>\n

<\/a>4<\/a>\u00a0 Bruce
\n\tJ. Malina and Richard L. Rohrbaugh Social-Science Commentary on the
\n\tSynoptic Gospels (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003) \u201cMeals\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I lack the patience and the commitment to read any newspaper or magazine cover to cover, but I do scan … Continue reading \u201cThe Art of Choosing What to Do With Your Life as a Church\u201d
\nbased on Jeremiah 2:4-13 & Luke 14:1, 7-14<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[34,28,39,33,1265,540,56,57,1582],"class_list":["post-4511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-fumc-schenectady","tag-rev-sara-e-baron","tag-thinking-church","tag-umc","tag-first-umc-schenectady","tag-progressive-church","tag-schenectady","tag-sorry-about-the-umc","tag-whats-the-point"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4511\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}