Sometimes we hear Christian jargon batted about so much that we lose our grasp of what is meant by the terms. Because words like servant and servanthood have been used so much, I've chosen to use different ones.
If one has a spirit of helpfulness, it is easy to slip from freedom in serving into the bondage of subservience. Right away we can get a clue from the sub- prefix. It means "under," "beneath," "lower," "further down" or "less important." That meaning is useful, of course, when we talk about a subway or submarine, subzero temperatures, a subbasement, or a subhead. But sub- connected to service means, not retained and remunerated fairly for aid one has given, but service that is required because the server is under the other. He/she is beneath the one being served, lower and less important.
My purpose in pointing out this difference is that Christians sometimes confuse the two. (As I have done myself.) Too frequently, it can be seen in churches where officials use their position to assume a superior stance over others. They "deserve" their privileges and even if they do not require obeisance, they quite readily accept inappropriate deference. Sadly, it is found in home relationships too. The husband—backed by Scriptural teaching, he supposes, concerning the submission of his wife to his decisions and wishes—domineers or even abuses his family. The wife may not realize there is any other way to interpret those same Scriptures, and hates the position in which they have placed her. In these churches and homes, those who "under" are not able to give freely in serving, but are enmeshed in subservience. While risking oversimplification, I see the two sharply contrasted in these ways.
Serving allows one to understand and minister to others while retaining his/her own identity and objectivity.
Subservience requires one to give up autonomy, even one's own Spirit-led intentions.
Serving has genuineness about it; it is consistent with the rest of the giver's life.
Subservience means the giver may have to hide feelings of frustration and anger.
Serving is about honestly assessing need, not always yielding to what is wanted or demanded.
Subservience is allowing oneself to be manipulated by another, even when their agenda might not be particularly self-serving.
Serving means one chooses to be in a caring or giving situation.
Subservience requires one to co-operate or suffer negative consequences.
So what are people to do if they are caught in subservience rather than serving? Some situations can be altered so that the sub- part no longer exists to create an imbalance of power. That's why Jesus was so hard on the Pharisees. Some relationships have to enter a negotiation phase, where both giver and receiver act honestly and graciously. Remember Jesus washing Peter's feet? And some have to be ended. The Apostle Paul and Barnabas perhaps illustrate this when they went their separate ways, although thankfully, only temporarily. None of these are easy, especially if the inequality is firmly established. But serving is a Christian privilege, fully based on the Scripture; subservience is not.
Marjorie
Showing posts with label ministry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ministry. Show all posts
Monday, March 1, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
For Such a Time As This
For over a century, The Ladies Home Journal has had a strong influence on its readers, now numbering in the millions. The motto of the magazine for many of those years has been, "Never underestimate the power of a woman." What does that mean? That women are smarter and more capable than you might expect? That women aren't given credit for their strengths? That there's more to a woman than meets the eye? That a woman can do anything a man can do and some things that he cannot? The declaration is perhaps not as aggressive as it might seem, given that the slogan came into use in 1945. Probably it was intended to recognize the value of women's work in the war effort and the tough resilience they demonstrated by maintaining homes and businesses while their men were away in battle.
The motto reminds me of the story of Esther in the Bible. Although the king underestimated the young Jewish woman he took as his queen, her cousin Mordecai did not. The king had been tricked by an evil man into issuing the edict that would wipe out all the Jews in the Kingdom. Mordecai pleaded with Esther to go to the king and beg for action that would spare their people. She was hesitant, for anyone approaching the throne without being summoned could be executed. Mordecai sent the insistent message, "Don't think that just because you live in the king's house you're the one Jew who will get out of this alive. If you persist in staying silent at a time like this, help and deliverance will arrive for the Jews from someplace else; but you and your family will be wiped out. Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this." (Esther 4:13, 14) Esther obeyed, and changed the course of Jewish history.
Who knows what effect your own life can have on those around you? Don't underestimate your power, your influence, or your contribution to the Kingdom of God! He has placed you exactly where you are for just such a time as this, Why then, you may wonder, do I not see anything happening? Why does what I say and do not make any difference?
Oh, but it does! Fifty years ago, a scientist named Edward Lorenz was using a numerical computer model to make weather predictions. What he found was that an extremely tiny change in initial conditions, when they evolved exponentially over time, resulted in a completely different weather outcome. The slightest disturbance, say by the flapping wings of a gull or a butterfly, would eventually be amplified to such an extent that large-scale atmospheric motions were created and long-term weather behavior became impossible to predict. (So that explains why the local weatherman cannot always get it right!)
Lorenz's talk in 1972 before the American Association for the Advancement of Science was titled, "Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil Set off a Tornado in Texas?" A butterfly, of course, could not create the tornado in the sense of providing the energy for the wind. It does represent, though, an infinitesimal part of the initial conditions that resulted in a tornado, and without the flap, that particular tornado would not have existed in the form it did. Thus, Lorenz's "butterfly effect."
In the dynamic structure that is our life in a world with other people, can you see that our actions and words have a butterfly effect too? What we do or say, even as tiny as the flutter of butterfly wings, does have powerful significance. We may not see it immediately, or perhaps we never will. Nevertheless, it sets in motion changes that eventually matter. Don't underestimate your power as a woman. Who knows but that you may have come to the Kingdom for such a time as this?
Marjorie
Oh, but it does! Fifty years ago, a scientist named Edward Lorenz was using a numerical computer model to make weather predictions. What he found was that an extremely tiny change in initial conditions, when they evolved exponentially over time, resulted in a completely different weather outcome. The slightest disturbance, say by the flapping wings of a gull or a butterfly, would eventually be amplified to such an extent that large-scale atmospheric motions were created and long-term weather behavior became impossible to predict. (So that explains why the local weatherman cannot always get it right!)
Lorenz's talk in 1972 before the American Association for the Advancement of Science was titled, "Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil Set off a Tornado in Texas?" A butterfly, of course, could not create the tornado in the sense of providing the energy for the wind. It does represent, though, an infinitesimal part of the initial conditions that resulted in a tornado, and without the flap, that particular tornado would not have existed in the form it did. Thus, Lorenz's "butterfly effect."
In the dynamic structure that is our life in a world with other people, can you see that our actions and words have a butterfly effect too? What we do or say, even as tiny as the flutter of butterfly wings, does have powerful significance. We may not see it immediately, or perhaps we never will. Nevertheless, it sets in motion changes that eventually matter. Don't underestimate your power as a woman. Who knows but that you may have come to the Kingdom for such a time as this?
Marjorie
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Information on the "butterfly effect" from http://www.cmp.caltech.edu/~mcc/chaos_new/Lorenz.html and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect
Friday, August 28, 2009
Willing to Help
You know, of course, the story of The Little Red Hen and her friends—a duck, a cat and a pig (or a goose and dog and whatever animal your favorite version has). The Little Red Hen found a grain of wheat and, deciding to plant it, she asked who would help.
"Not I," said the duck.
"Not I," said the cat.
"Not I," said the pig.
The Little Red Hen asked for help many times: when it was time to cut the wheat, to thresh it and to grind it into flour, to bake the flour into bread. Each time, her unwilling friends responded, "Not I--not I--not I." To which The Little Red Hen responded each time, "Then I will." And she did.
When the bread had been baked, The Little Red Hen asked again, "Who will help me eat this bread?" Her friends replied eagerly,
"I will!" said the duck.
"I will!" said the cat.
"I will!" said the pig.
"Oh no, you won't!" said The Little Red Hen. "I will!" And she did.
I hope you can see the connection between this story and the account from Scripture of repairing the city of Jerusalem when the residents returned from exile. The high priest and his brethren led the way, apparently not considering that this was work for only common laborers. Some, the "nobles" from the town of Tekoa, refused to assist, but Nehemiah lists many others (chapter 3) who made themselves available. There are no expert builders and carpenters available? "Then we will!" said the priests, and goldsmiths, perfume makers, district leaders, merchants and women.
Women? Yes, the daughters of Shallum, leader of half the district of Jerusalem, helped their father with the work of reconstruction. No sons in the family? "Then we will!" said the daughters. And they did.
Were they sturdy teenagers who could tramp among the ruins to locate burned bricks and carry them to the building site? Or were they older women of means, perhaps heiresses or rich widows, who gave liberally to advance the project? Were there two of them—or six? We don't know, but they are the only women mentioned among men and their sons who made a significant contribution to the work.
Never believe that what we as women have to offer our family, our community, our church, or the Kingdom of God is unimportant. Often all it takes is seeing where we are meant to help and saying, "Then I will!" and doing it.
Marjorie
"Not I," said the duck.
"Not I," said the cat.
"Not I," said the pig.
The Little Red Hen asked for help many times: when it was time to cut the wheat, to thresh it and to grind it into flour, to bake the flour into bread. Each time, her unwilling friends responded, "Not I--not I--not I." To which The Little Red Hen responded each time, "Then I will." And she did.
When the bread had been baked, The Little Red Hen asked again, "Who will help me eat this bread?" Her friends replied eagerly,
"I will!" said the duck.
"I will!" said the cat.
"I will!" said the pig.
"Oh no, you won't!" said The Little Red Hen. "I will!" And she did.
I hope you can see the connection between this story and the account from Scripture of repairing the city of Jerusalem when the residents returned from exile. The high priest and his brethren led the way, apparently not considering that this was work for only common laborers. Some, the "nobles" from the town of Tekoa, refused to assist, but Nehemiah lists many others (chapter 3) who made themselves available. There are no expert builders and carpenters available? "Then we will!" said the priests, and goldsmiths, perfume makers, district leaders, merchants and women.
Women? Yes, the daughters of Shallum, leader of half the district of Jerusalem, helped their father with the work of reconstruction. No sons in the family? "Then we will!" said the daughters. And they did.
Were they sturdy teenagers who could tramp among the ruins to locate burned bricks and carry them to the building site? Or were they older women of means, perhaps heiresses or rich widows, who gave liberally to advance the project? Were there two of them—or six? We don't know, but they are the only women mentioned among men and their sons who made a significant contribution to the work.
Never believe that what we as women have to offer our family, our community, our church, or the Kingdom of God is unimportant. Often all it takes is seeing where we are meant to help and saying, "Then I will!" and doing it.
Marjorie
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
The Stained Glass Ceiling
The Stained Glass Ceiling
In a recent post, "A Face, A Voice," I gave you my personal version of "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar." I said, "I am woman. Hear me sing and pray—and perhaps even preach. (God is an EOE.)" I want to talk a little more about that, particularly if any reader is considering Christian ministry as her calling. While it is true that God does not discriminate on the basis of gender, we cannot be so sure that some of His people do not!
In employment terms, "ceiling" refers to situations where upward advancement of a qualified individual in the organization is unfairly limited. The glass ceiling is transparent, that is, the barrier may not be immediately apparent but exists as unwritten/unofficial policy which is discriminatory in some way—most commonly against minorities and women, but also the disabled and older citizens. Specifically referring to career advancement for women, the term has been used for at least thirty years to describe their inability to make progress in what otherwise would have been a clear path to promotion.
The stained-glass ceiling, then, is the same concept expressed in religious communities, where women often have difficulty gaining a role in church leadership. In many church structures, women tend not to rise above a certain level of status or power if, in fact, it is possible at all. That level may be established by the tradition, doctrine, or "law" of the particular church group.
Official leadership, such as that for a whole denomination, is often at the leading edge of acceptance and change. At the level of the whole religious body, women may be permitted or possibly welcomed as teachers, deacons or other lay positions, and even ministers. That is not necessarily true for every local congregation of that organization. An example: Theoretically, the local group may believe women are capable of spiritual leadership; practically speaking, however, they do not want a female senior pastor.
In my Christian Ministry classes at our local university, there was a young woman whose intention was to prepare for pulpit ministry. Her attitude was, "God has called me. They'll have to let me preach." I felt sorry for her, knowing that she would probably face great disappointment. (Actually, she dropped out of the program.) There are "rules," written rules formed by governing boards of religious bodies, and unwritten rules that faith communities establish for themselves. Either of these could prove impossible to break through, so why break your heart?
If it becomes apparent that you will be limited in the "Donut Dunkers" denomination, perhaps you should consider affiliation with the "Fellowship of Coffee Cake Christians." We sometimes expect God to open the door for us, when we already have in mind exactly what door would be just right for us! God has people everywhere, and unlimited opportunities for service if we look in the right places. No ceiling—stained glass or any other kind—for Him!
Marjorie
In a recent post, "A Face, A Voice," I gave you my personal version of "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar." I said, "I am woman. Hear me sing and pray—and perhaps even preach. (God is an EOE.)" I want to talk a little more about that, particularly if any reader is considering Christian ministry as her calling. While it is true that God does not discriminate on the basis of gender, we cannot be so sure that some of His people do not!
In employment terms, "ceiling" refers to situations where upward advancement of a qualified individual in the organization is unfairly limited. The glass ceiling is transparent, that is, the barrier may not be immediately apparent but exists as unwritten/unofficial policy which is discriminatory in some way—most commonly against minorities and women, but also the disabled and older citizens. Specifically referring to career advancement for women, the term has been used for at least thirty years to describe their inability to make progress in what otherwise would have been a clear path to promotion.
The stained-glass ceiling, then, is the same concept expressed in religious communities, where women often have difficulty gaining a role in church leadership. In many church structures, women tend not to rise above a certain level of status or power if, in fact, it is possible at all. That level may be established by the tradition, doctrine, or "law" of the particular church group.
Official leadership, such as that for a whole denomination, is often at the leading edge of acceptance and change. At the level of the whole religious body, women may be permitted or possibly welcomed as teachers, deacons or other lay positions, and even ministers. That is not necessarily true for every local congregation of that organization. An example: Theoretically, the local group may believe women are capable of spiritual leadership; practically speaking, however, they do not want a female senior pastor.
In my Christian Ministry classes at our local university, there was a young woman whose intention was to prepare for pulpit ministry. Her attitude was, "God has called me. They'll have to let me preach." I felt sorry for her, knowing that she would probably face great disappointment. (Actually, she dropped out of the program.) There are "rules," written rules formed by governing boards of religious bodies, and unwritten rules that faith communities establish for themselves. Either of these could prove impossible to break through, so why break your heart?
If it becomes apparent that you will be limited in the "Donut Dunkers" denomination, perhaps you should consider affiliation with the "Fellowship of Coffee Cake Christians." We sometimes expect God to open the door for us, when we already have in mind exactly what door would be just right for us! God has people everywhere, and unlimited opportunities for service if we look in the right places. No ceiling—stained glass or any other kind—for Him!
Marjorie
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