What are the questions?
What are the right questions to unlock wisdom and strength that will allow us to discern God’s plan for us?
One of the continuing education opportunities I participated in recently was a chance to be trained as a clergy coach. We went through material, saw clergy coaching modeled, and practiced with our colleagues. I always liked one of the basic assumptions of clergy coaching: “The answer is within the person.”
Coaching was not about providing what were my answers but asking the right presenting questions so that the person being coached would rummage through their inner wisdom and will to know the answer for themselves. Listening well, asking the right questions, even offering silence are the job of the coach.
During the home potlucks this fall, I asked questions so that you all might learn about one another and think collectively about the future of the church. One of the things I’ve learned in coaching is that the right question sometimes needs to be asked over and over so that we begin to ruminate and reflect throughout the course of our days.
I believe in this congregation and the inner wisdom and strength that is found here. Using what I learned as a coach and in 30 years of ordained ministry, I am trying to discern what the right presenting questions are to tap into that collective wisdom and strength.
What do you think some of the right questions are? I’ll be talking about some basic questions where we might start in my New Year’s Day sermon.
I want to be precise about asking questions because I know I’ve asked past confirmation classes what they would like to do in the future and I get these wonderful, creative ideas shared with me. And then nobody participates in those future events or offerings.
Where do you think God is leading us? How are we to be faithful in this age? What if we assume that God has an incredible mission and ministry for us? What would that look like? How has God acted in the past that might tell us how God might act in the future?
I ask this because there are about seven United Church of Christ churches within about a 30-minute driving distance with each other who are anywhere from six to forty people in attendance every Sunday. Some are talking about closing. Others are talking about turning their church building into a museum. How might we spark imagination to talk about how all those churches might come together to do something fabulous and wonderful? What if we joined together in mission? What if we put forward all kinds of different worship opportunities and styles?
What are the right questions? And what is God leading us to do?
Meditation Service, Sunday, January 8, 7:00 p.m.,
Tonglen Meditation
One of the most difficult community meditations I have done personally and in community is tonglen meditation, a meditation that strengthens compassion in the heart and the mind. It is difficult because it helps us take the negative or painful in and put back out into the universe light and love. For a Christian, it is kind of like eating a vegetable we know we need but not necessarily liking the taste.
We become a human kidney. We breath in the negative or even the evil and breathe back out light and goodness.
When I am right and healthy, I can breathe in the worst of things and put back out into the universe health and harmony.
Christ commands, “Love your enemies.” It is a reminder that we are to build spiritual muscle that does not put back out the evil or negative directed at us. We are not to be doormats. But we are to help weave an eco-system of compassion around us.
Come join us for the practice of tonglen meditation.
✝
