{"id":4534,"date":"2022-02-13T15:27:01","date_gmt":"2022-02-13T15:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/2022\/02\/13\/stay-based-on-isaiah-61-8-and-luke-51-11\/"},"modified":"2022-02-13T15:27:01","modified_gmt":"2022-02-13T15:27:01","slug":"stay-based-on-isaiah-61-8-and-luke-51-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/2022\/02\/13\/stay-based-on-isaiah-61-8-and-luke-51-11\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cStay\u201d based on Isaiah 6:1-8 and Luke 5:1-11"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

Once
\nupon a time, in an era that feels very long ago, I spent a lot of
\ntime trying to listen to what I was supposed to be doing with my life
\nand the answer I discerned was \u201cClergy, United Methodist Church,
\nElder, Wyoming Conference.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

That’s
\nnot the point today. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Years
\nafter that, I found that I wanted to check to see what I was supposed
\nto \u00a0be doing with my life. \u00a0I was, by that point, a clergy member of
\nthe United Methodist Church, an elder in the Upper New York Annual
\nConference that followed the existence of the Wyoming Conference.
\nSo, in a similar time of prayer, discernment, and listening, I sought
\nto determine what I was supposed to be aimed at next.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The
\nanswer I found was, \u201cStay.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(I
\nsuspect God is short-winded with me so I can’t wiggle new
\ninterpretations. \u00a0Or, perhaps I stop listening too fast? \u00a0Who knows.)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The
\nstories for today reflect big changes. \u00a0Isaiah moves from being \u201cnot
\na prophet\u201d to \u201ca prophet\u201d and Simon Peter, James, and John
\nmoved from being fishermen to Jesus’s disciples. \u00a0Those are some
\nsignificant changes in role, \u00a0identity, and life! They’re BIG answers
\nto the BIG questions of what each of them was \u201csupposed to do with
\ntheir lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Now,
\nI’ll admit, most of the time these stories aren’t seen as being about
\nchange. \u00a0Even I have often preached these as invitations to consider
\nthe possibility that God is calling you to do something radical and
\nnew, and asking if you are willing to listen to the call. \u00a0I’ve made
\nit about CALL, and I think that was because I’m always aware of the
\ninjustice of the world as it is, and the compassion of God, and I’m
\nall for people listening to God’s calls to make the world more just.
\n(I still am).<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

But…
\nto be a part of healing the world ALSO requires that we allow God’s
\nhealing love to transform US. \u00a0And that also means paying attention
\nto when we are at or near breaking points, and then saying \u201cNO
\nMORE\u201d for now. \u00a0Or, perhaps, listening when God says \u201cstay\u201d
\n(however it is that God might say that to you.)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It
\nmay be that God is saying \u201cstay\u201d and we are able to tell that
\n\u201cstay\u201d is what we need when we notice that we are grasping for
\ncontrol \u2026. and we then take seriously the idea that when we are
\ngrasping for control it is because we are experiencing a lack of
\nstability and predictably. \u00a0(This assumes God wants good things for
\nus, which I am ok assuming.)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

That’s
\nthe most important thing I’m going to say today, so I’m going to say
\nit again. \u00a0One way of listening for God’s guidance in our lives IS
\ntaking seriously the fact that when we are grasping for control it is
\nbecause we are experiencing a lack of stability and predictably.<\/p>\n

Then,
\nwe start noticing when we’re grasping for control, AND start figuring
\nout what we CAN do to create stability for ourselves (and others
\naround us.) \u00a0Another BIG clue is when we find ourselves wanting or
\ndemanding COMPLIANCE. \u00a0(From kids, from partners, from employees,
\nfrom parents, from church committees….) \u00a0When we start demanding
\ncompliance, it is probably a good clue that we don’t feel SAFE, and
\nwe’re trying to re-create a sense of safety by establishing that we
\nhave power in the world. \u00a0Even if we are doing it by trying to have
\npower over other people.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

These
\nare coping mechanisms. \u00a0I’m actually all for coping mechanisms,
\nbecause we all need to COPE. \u00a0BUT, they can also do serious damage,
\nand we are at our best when we increase the number of coping
\nmechanisms we have on hand, and picking which one to use when.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(Just
\nas an aside, because I find it terribly interesting, sometimes in
\nfaith people project onto God the desire for compliance. \u00a0And I’m
\ninterested in the idea that this may be a way of projecting the lack
\nof our sense of safety onto God.)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

So,
\nI’m taking these as two \u201ccall stories\u201d as stories of change, and
\nnoticing the impact of the calls on their lives. \u00a0It probably makes
\nsense, right now that these stories resonate as CHANGE. \u00a0After all,
\nwe are 2 years into this pandemic, but also \u2026 maybe… at \u201cthe
\nend\u201d of the pandemic, or at least a significant transition point in
\nit. \u00a0So we’re dealing with the changes of the past 2 years, and the
\ninconsistencies of the past 2 years, and NEW changes now, and changes
\nto come, and then on top of that the reality that the new stability
\nthat may emerge is going to look different from the old one…<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And
\nthat’s JUST the pandemic. \u00a0Most of us have also experienced other
\nchanges in the past two years. \u00a0And perhaps because of these past two
\nyears, I think at this point \u201cbig changes\u201d leaves a sour taste in
\nour mouths.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

But,
\nthis is not always how we see changes culturally. \u00a0Often we think of
\nchanges as exciting, wonderful, things. \u00a0My go to fiction genre is
\nromance, and falling in love is actually a BIG life change.
\nActually, the stories we tell, watch, and read are about change. \u00a0It
\nhas been said (by a writer named John Gardner) that there are only
\ntwo plots in all of literature: You
\ngo on a journey, or the stranger comes to town. \u00a0There isn’t much
\nplot in the status quo.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

However,
\nbecause we tend to tell stories of change, and celebrate
\naccomplishments that bring change (graduations, etc), we aren’t
\nalways good at attending to the STRESS created by changes. \u00a0The is a
\nmeasurement of the stress of changes: The Holmes \u2013 Rahe
\nStress inventory.1<\/sup><\/a>
\nIt is a method for evaluating how people are doing, and what
\nlikelihood there is for an impending HEALTH BREAKDOWN. \u00a0Functionally,
\nit is a list of changes, ranked by level of impact, and people add up
\nthe values of all the changes they’re living to see how BIG they are,
\ntogether. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I’m
\nfamiliar with this from some clergy-transition work, because things
\nlike moving and getting a new job are on the list, and the impact of
\nitineracy is… well, a lot of stress. \u00a0But, to get back to my point
\nabout the CHANGE that is romance, according to this list the \u201csocial
\nreadjustment\u201d of getting married is the 7th<\/sup> most
\nstressful thing that could happen to you. \u00a0(If you wanted to know,
\nand you probably do: \u00a0Death of spouse, divorce, separation from
\nspouse\u201d are top 3, although pastorally I think I disagree and death
\nof a child should be in that top 3. \u00a0In any case, if you’ve lived any
\nof these, please note that it wouldn’t take many other factors to
\nhave you on the high side of this inventory.) \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Other
\nserious factors in stress that feel relevant to right now (and to our
\nstories) include:<\/p>\n

Retirement<\/p>\n

Major
\nchange in health of a family member<\/p>\n

Changing
\nto a different line of work<\/p>\n

Change
\nin work responsibilities<\/p>\n

\u201cSpouse
\nbeginning or ceasing work outside the home\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tRevision
\nof personal habits (things like, say leaving the home or not)<\/p>\n

\t\tMajor
\nchanges in work hours or conditions (NO, I’m NOT making this up)<\/p>\n

\t\t34
\nMajor change in usual type \/ amount of recreation<\/p>\n

\t\t35
\nMajor change in church activity (I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP.. its)<\/p>\n

\t\t36
\nMajor change in social activity<\/p>\n

\t\tmajor
\nchange in number of family get togethers<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

So,
\nperhaps we might note that the pandemic combined with life itself has
\nput ALL of us in much higher stress position than we’re used to, and
\nthat means we are much more likely to feel unsafe and out of control
\n\u2013 and to be doing things (consciously or not) to try to gain
\ncontrol, stability, and predictably in life.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And,
\nbeing me, I’d suggest you will be more like to be SUCCESSFUL and to
\nmake HEALTHY choices about how to gain control, stability, and
\npredictably if you do it consciously.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

But,
\nI am bringing all of this up in the context of the changes in our
\nstories from the Bible, and I think our lives right now may help us
\nbe in a place to have some empathy for Isaiah and the disciples as
\nthey went through major life changes and experienced the stress of
\nthat. \u00a0We are likely able to see that even as they were being
\nfaithful to God, it was hard. \u00a0We are able to see that even if the
\ndisciples were moved by Jesus, connected to hope for the future,
\nprayerfully connected to the Divine, and finally finding their place
\nin the world \u2026. IT WAS STILL HARD.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Maybe
\nwe are ready, at this point, to let go of the myth that \u201cif we’re
\ndoing things right, it will all come together and be easy.\u201d \u00a0I
\nthink that’s likely a myth of capitalism, one that has been used to
\nkeep compliance, and one that has bled into faith. \u00a0Following God
\ndoesn’t make it all easy \u2013 even if it does make it all meaningful
\nand valuable and even good. \u00a0Doing the right thing is often HARD.
\nDealing with the changes around us remains incredibly difficult EVEN
\nif they are the ones we choose. \u00a0Dealing with changes around us
\nremains incredibly difficult EVEN if they’re the right changes.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

We’re
\nhuman. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

We
\nlive in bodies, given to us by God, that tune into stress, and
\nrespond with concern to changes.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

AND,
\nwe’re also capable of surviving and thriving after major changes.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Which
\nis really good news. \u00a0Because Isaiah became a prophet, and a good
\none. \u00a0The disciples floundered for quite a while, but eventually
\nbecame the trusted leaders of the Jesus movement.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Perhaps
\nright now it feels unfortunate that we don’t get to skip the
\nexperiences of change and just move on to the \u201cgood parts\u201d
\n(DARN). \u00a0 But life is a series of changes, big and small, and we
\ndon’t get to skip them. \u00a0Here we are. \u00a0And God is with us. \u00a0And we
\nhave difficult things to face \u2013 inside ourselves and outside of
\nourselves, and God is with us. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

For
\nnow, I hope you might just hear this: \u00a0sometimes God isn’t calling us
\nto anything new. \u00a0Sometimes God is calling us to stay the
\ncourse, and get settled where we are, and get some more stability. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And
\nthat is holy work too. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Thanks
\nbe to God. \u00a0Amen\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1<\/a>https:\/\/www.stress.org\/holmes-rahe-stress-inventory-pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/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

February 13, 2022<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Once upon a time, in an era that feels very long ago, I spent a lot of time trying to … Continue reading \u201cStay\u201d based on Isaiah 6:1-8 and Luke 5:1-11<\/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":[38,28,39,33,537,1265,75,1484,218,56,1681,57,1682],"class_list":["post-4534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-progressive-christianity","tag-rev-sara-e-baron","tag-thinking-church","tag-umc","tag-enough","tag-first-umc-schenectady","tag-fumcschenectady","tag-pandemic-preaching","tag-rest","tag-schenectady","tag-season-of-epiphany","tag-sorry-about-the-umc","tag-stay"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4534","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=4534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4534\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}