Drudgery. It's the touchstone of our Christian character. Drudgery is removed from the mountain top or the isolated valley. It is far removed from the ideal and surreal. It's the grubby things of our daily life that when we come into contact with them we know we are authentic and spiritually real. It takes the inspiration of God to live out the day to day routine. Some people do a certain thing like drive the kids in carpool or walk away from a juicy piece of office gossip in a way that is utterly transformational. They do a common thing with uncommon grace.
The Lord starts in our drudgery. It may be the most common thing we do, but when we do it with a sense of divine initiative we are transfigured. Imagine the Lord of lords and King of kings becoming human. Read the passages of the gospels and find the ordinary things Jesus does with extraordinary grace. We have a tendency to believe the Christian life is supposed to be lived out in the extremes. But in all honesty, the Christian life is lived with integrity in the drudgery of life - when we're just not feeling it. I found an inspired cartoon that demonstrates this point in a funny way here.
The Apostle Paul doesn't give an inspiring speech to the Philippians like the blue-faced Mel Gibson in Braveheart or a battle-ready Russel Crow in Gladiator. He simply tells it like it is by saying,
"Not that I've already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14 NIV
Blessed self-forgetfulness can be a definition of humility and something we are learning about during this sermons series. We will experience something new this weekend at Wheatland. We are celebrating with our congregation at both sites! Five Preacher Weekend is an opportunity to share the incredible talent we have and give new leaders an opportunity to preach at each location. We will consecrate our Congregational Care Team members and welcome new members into our community. I wouldn't miss this if I were you! See you Sunday.
-Pastor Jen