Vocational ministers or professional clergy get to hear questions from people that are not normally asked in casual conversation. The questions change a little bit depending on the role; pastor, chaplain, evangelist, or missionary. The questions, however, are consistent in large part. One of the common questions is "What is God's will for my life?" I heard it often as a youth pastor and I thought it would diminish as I transitioned to ministering to adults predominantly. It hasn't. People's thoughts of their lives and God's plan and purpose for them seem to transcend generations. The part that is interesting to me and my subject today is not specifically God's will for your life, or you knowing that will, but your motivation in wanting to know it.
Seasons and Change
We are three quarters of the way through September and that means a number of things. County fairs and harvest festivals are taking place all over the country. The kids are settling back into school. The weather is starting to cool down. Being a New Englander by birth I think there is something inherent in Autumn that causes you to be a bit nostalgic. Autumn arriving also shows us the wonderful plan God put into motion during creation. It is part of the circle of seasons that is so representative of life. If you are like me, Disney's The Circle of Life from The Lion King is now playing in your head. Your welcome. At this seasonal change I return to my favorite Old Testament book, Ecclesiastes.
Love, Gongs and Knowledge
I love weddings. I find every aspect of a wedding fun, and at times entertaining. I enjoy the premarital counseling and planning. It's fun to watch the busyness of the bride's mom and friends as they fret over every minute detail. I find it funny that no one wants anything less than perfection from the flowers to the sound to the music, but they never notice the inevitable slip up or mistake. Then there are the games that the groomsmen play. The things they do that make the bride absolutely nervous. It's all so very enjoyable for me. There is an element to just about every christian wedding, and many secular weddings here in America, that is almost never left out. In a christian wedding it's read or quoted as scripture, and in a secular wedding it's read as a poem. You know the passage. It starts, "Love is patient, love is kind..." and is found in 1 Corinthians 13. Today I'm asking, "Is this passage only meant for weddings? What about the surrounding scripture?"
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