The Deep Gladness of Participation
Dear COTC,
Participation ribbons get a bad rap. They are often seen as a salve for hurt feelings, a desperate but largely meaningless gesture. We good (North) Americans want gold, silver, or, if we must settle, bronze. Like Will Ferrell, as Ricky Bobby, once taught us, “If you’re not first, you’re last.”
Participation is one of our core values at COTC. As I mentioned last week, each Sunday we are called to the “joining of our voices” with others in the worship of God; that’s the language of participation. We see participation as something more significant.
Jesus often calls those with little in the way of what we would regard as meaningful capital. This is because He has the resources, the supplies and capital necessary. It is his authority, His abundant provision, that are the context in which we are invited to participate. In the context of the prodigious riches of God, our participation becomes a joy. The outcome is not contingent upon ourselves, and the little we might have to contribute (think the feeding of the 5000) is multiplied for the blessing of others and the glory of God.
The coming weeks in this fall season at COTC are significant ones. It seems to me that God is inviting us to a deeper level of participation with Him. This may very well be a stretching and challenging thing. Some of us might feel it is an invitation for others, with more resources or more sanctified hearts. Yet the reality is that Jesus calls us, each and all, with whatever resources or capacities we might have or not have.
Participation will look different for each of us. Yet there are some specific invites I want to extend. Consider these basic encouragements to participate:
Participate in worship. Be encouraged this season to press into the corporate rhythms of worship we share as a community. During our upcoming “Thanks Be To God” initiative, each Sunday will have important aspects of worship.
Participate in prayer. At the center of our life with God, individually and corporately, is the communion we share with him through Jesus. Jesus makes possible our intimate engagement in the very throne room of the universe. He is our intercessor. One particular prayer for this season that we will emphasize is the simple petition “Lord, how are you inviting me to participate?”
Participate in generous service. Obviously this season involves an invitation to participate financially and give out of what we have received for the future and mission of COTC. Yet a life of generosity involves more than money. For some of us, the most meaningful gift we might give this season is through embodied service, whether that is in the regular rhythm of one of the teams performing the “household chores” required for our good functioning as a church, in a more ad hoc and occasional fashion, or out in the Monday to Saturday world in the name of Jesus.
Fredrick Beuchner, who recently passed away, famously defined vocation as the place where “your deep gladness and the world’s deeper hunger meet.” I’d only add that to follow Jesus is the universal human vocation, shared by us all, and I long for each of us to know the deep gladness that can only come through participation in and with him.
Joyfully and clumsily in Christ with you,
Peter+
PS. Speaking of participation, be sure to participate in our Annual Parish Meeting this Sunday. We’ll start about 15 minutes after worship and the meeting should take about 45 minutes. Childcare is available during this time. The meeting will be live-streamed. The meeting will include a rector’s report regarding this last year and the year ahead, a review of our budget for the upcoming year by our treasurer, and an update on the Parish Council, including the vote regarding two new candidates.