“We see things with negative eyes, these days. It isn’t that we’re inherently negative, it’s just that the last two years have wired us to see that, first. So, I thought I’d do something about it…”
These were the words from a vestry member this past Monday. They were followed by a beautiful story of joy-finding and positivity. By the time the tale was finished, everyone around the table was smiling, or in my case grinning ear to ear. And the ministry it involved was simplistic genius, which got me thinking…
Why do we make ministry so difficult? I mean, I know that it’s sometimes hard just by virtue of being what it is, but most of the time it isn’t. Most of the time we make it that way—like trying to pull blood from a stone, or at least it feels that way. “How can I do the new thing? How can we create a cutting-edge ministry that will affect the world around us?” While these are good questions to ponder, I wonder at the toll it takes on us to try and reinvent the wheel. This query came to light again in my mind after talking to yet another person from the church, yesterday.
They were doing a simple yet needed ministry in the midst of which, deeper connection was made. Not because of a contrived sense of “Well, I’m here, and so I should ‘do’ something extra”, being instead a moment of grace-filled conversation. When they told me about their interaction, I found myself grinning again, just like two days ago.
I think we are trying to make meaning of the world around us in the best of times. Given all that we’ve undergone in the recent past, meaning-making takes on a whole new depth. We need it. We need hope amidst the chaos, and we need bright spots of life. Church people have been banging our heads against the wall trying to figure out the way forward—in some cases, that’s a necessary evil, as the world has changed so must we. But ministry is still, at its heart, the same. Love God. Love your neighbor.
The negative will rear its ugly head in many situations. As a friend recently stated, “Spend your time seeking the positive moments and sharing them together, because the negative ones will find you all on their own.” We would be wise to seek the positive every day, going against the grain of current context and seeking that which can bring joy rather than hopelessness. It’s the small moments in the day: A word from a friend, a laugh shared with a stranger, a simple ‘l love you’ from someone. Those are all ministries—known ways to impart meaning in this otherwise unknown world in which we are now living.
Instead of searching for that particular ‘aha’ moment, perhaps call a friend. Rather than stew about that which we ‘should’ do, concentrate on that which we are doing. The world hasn’t gone to hell. The sky isn’t falling. We just live in an age where it feels like those things are ever-present at the fore of our minds. Maybe it’s time we rewired ourselves, hitting the refresh button and attempting to see the world as the beautiful place it is, despite all the horrid experiences of late. Because in the midst of even our worst times, there are blessings. We just have to have eyes to see them.
Give someone a sticker. Listen to an older person’s tales. See the joy on a child’s face. Let the wind caress your skin and the sun shine down. It’s gonna be okay, y’all. I don’t know how. But I know that as long as God is with us, we’re going to make it. Ministry is love in its working form. And that work is as simple as we want it to be. Take time to see that and know that God is here with us in those everyday moments. Choose to search for the good, and the good is what you’ll find. Even in the worst of situations.
Faithfully,
Fr. Sean+