When I was a missionary in Taiwan, the wife of the local pastor I worked with was very fond of using Chinese proverbs.  One of these proverbs is “It's better to be a dog in a peaceful time than be a man in a chaotic time.”  This proverb has been interpreted into English as “May you live in interesting times.”  For many this can be seen as a curse – life will be harder during interesting times, life will not be peaceful, and things will change.  But I prefer to see it as a blessing – life will be more challenging and so more rewarding, life will be exciting and so not dull and boring, and things can change for the better.

Every generation sees themselves as living in interesting times and this generation is no different.  And we as the Church exist within these interesting times.  It is interesting for us because we no longer hold a place of prominence in our communities.  Churches are often seen as burden to a community, they don’t pay taxes and create traffic on Sunday mornings when many people would like to have the roads empty.  We don’t need demographic data to confirm the reality that only 18% of Americans go to church because we see that we are the only ones driving out of our neighborhoods on Sunday mornings.  The times we live in are interesting to say the least.

We could easily throw up our hands and throw in the towel and only hope that MY church stays open long enough to bury ME.  Many people and churches have this attitude.  They see that they live in interesting times and that the work ahead seems too hard.  In interesting times we can lose sight of the real purpose of why God has left us here.  Listen to how Martin Luther understood this purpose as he reflected on 1 Peter 1:3   “We have no other reason for living on earth than to be of help to others.  If this were not the case it would be best for God to kill us and let us die as soon as we are baptized and have begun to believe.  But He permits us to live here in order that we may bring others to faith just as He brought us.”

And so it is a blessing to live in interesting times because God has still permitted us to live here in order that we may bring others to faith just as HE brought us.  I look at these times and thank God that He has chosen to place me here and now in interesting times because my Christian life will not be boring, it will be challenging and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit things can change for the better.

Now there are two other proverbs connected with this one.  The next is, “May you come to the attention of those in authority.”  We have come to the attention of THE ONE in authority, our God and Father.  Our sin has brought the attention of our God and He chose to deal with it by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for each of us.  And we still bring His attention as He continues to care deeply for each of us – we are not forgotten.  The attention of the ONE in authority is always a good thing for us – His children, and in the midst of these interesting times we have his attention.

And the final proverb is “May you find what you are looking for.”  As we live in these interesting times it can become easy to be distracted by all the interesting things or distractions.  They can consume our focus and sidetrack us and confuse us about what we are to be looking for.  At times like these it is most important to know our vision, to know what we are looking for.  Growing up I always heard the truism – if you aim at nothing that’s just what you’ll hit.  Or in other words, we will find what we are looking for, it just might not be what we should be looking for. 

I invite you to join me in seeking God’s guidance and discernment in casting the vision for ministry at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Somerset, NJ.  Will it be enough for us to maintain conducting services each week or will we join the apostle Paul when he said, “I make it my ambition to preach the gospel not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, ‘Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.’” (Romans 15:2-21).

By the grace of God may you live in interesting times.  By the love of God may you come to the attention of THE ONE in authority.  And by the mercy of God may you find what HE is looking for.”

Christ’s Ambassador,

Pastor Andrew Dinger