Christians are, I think, living a life somewhere between the lateness and urgency of the hour ('the time is short') and the long view of time that comes from worship of the God for whom a day and a thousand years aren't very different. I think it is the latter that conditions the former: that is, the 'urgency' of living in the last times is not a frantic rush but a realisation that only good things are worth doing. It is the kind of urgency that comes from knowing our 'times are in your hands'.
The Christian attitude to time is marked by 'patient endurance'. It is more a five-day Test than Twenty-20; more gourmet meal with mature cheese and vintage wine than McDonalds; more epic than haiku; more stone than weatherboard; more Mahler than Kylie; more ocean liner than speed boat. It is more family than business. Christians don't respond rapidly to social change, on principle – and thank goodness.
So why is church life so busy? Why do ministers collapse under the burdens of the work, too exhausted to think? Why do run so many events but see so little of one another?
6 comments:
It takes a lot of work to not respond rapidly to social change.
You're so right - I'm just about to quote you on my blog!
It is more a five-day Test than Twenty-20; more gourmet meal with mature cheese and vintage wine than McDonalds; more epic than haiku; more stone than weatherboard; more Mahler than Kylie;
Given your choice of analogies:
more North Shore than Western Suburbs?
Thanks, Michael. I have to admit I've never put those two views of time together --- very helpful!
I can think of 4 reasons why church life can become so busy for clergy in particular:
A) Culture - Professional Sydney in particular has a workaholic culture, and we source most of our clergy from the professions.
B) Love of Work - You can easily become a workaholic if you love your job. It can be difficult to say no when there's so many great gospel opportunities out there.
C) There's nobody else to do it but me. Generally wrong, but we've all fallen prey to it.
D) Parishoner expectations. Some parishoners really do expect that their clergy will be on tap 24/7.
I have no answers, but they are good questions to reflect on during Advent, no?
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