Being our Values

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.Colossians 3:12-14

Dear Friends,

If you were at worship on Sunday (in person or online), you got to watch me try to deliver a Children’s Message while the real thing going on was picking up some “escaped” Orbeez! If you weren’t there, what happened is just as the children were coming up for the Children’s Message, the bag of Orbeez (small balls that expand when soaked) broke and spilled all over the carpet. I was trying to begin talking about Noah’s Ark and reading that story, the children were frantically crawling around on the carpet trying to pick up all these very small balls… and there were a lot of them! As I kept trying to get their attention and begin the message, it was very clear that they were focused on picking up the Orbeez. So… what should I do? 

As a leader of worship, I always have a plan for how things are going to go. I also know that things happen! Sometimes the PowerPoint doesn’t work. Sometimes something is left out of the bulletin or my leader’s guide. Sometimes there are audio disruptions (usually from some of our little people!). Quite often, my brain just isn’t working very well. And sometimes, Orbeez get spilled on the carpet at the front of the sanctuary right at the beginning of the Children’s Message. It’s times like these when I quite often am aware of (what I’m going to call) competing commitments. On Sunday, some of these commitments were:

• Providing an orderly worship

• Having the children (and others) listening hear the story of Noah’s Ark

• Some automatic ones were looking like I know what I’m doing and trying to stay in control

  
  

 There have been several times when I have been leading and I’ve had to decide how much I stay attached to my plan and how much I let go of it. I have no hard and fast answer because every situation is usually a little bit different. I have learned (particularly by watching my wife, Pastor Laura, model it) that the most important thing is to be clear on whom you are going to be. Another way of saying it is, It’s usually more important who you are being while you are doing something than what you are doing! 

At First Lutheran, we have named and claimed our core values of being uplifting, connecting, inviting and dynamic. I really do try to have these values being operative in all that I do in ministry at FLC. Of course, there are many times when there is something else driving me. On Sunday, however, as I tried to stay focused on being uplifting, connecting, inviting and dynamic, it looked like just letting them pick up their Orbeez and waiting till they picked them all up. Then it looked like enjoying the interactions with them. 

I really like the Bible passage above. It uses the metaphor of “clothing oneself” with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, grace and love. We all have days when these things come easy and it is easy to be these things. Other days are more of a challenge. We wake up into a certain emotional state or somebody does something or something happens. In those cases, it is easy to be grumpy, irritable, rude and even mean! No matter what our emotional state is, however, WE CAN CHOOSE who and how we are going to be. We can put on compassion and kindness and patience and love. 

I invite you to claim your power and ability to put on the clothes of Christ… and to be a little Christ for the people around you. 

Peace,

Pastor Phil