At a funeral I officiated at this week, I told many stories about my special patient Margaret and how she truly touched my life.\u00a0 I noted that she was a bright light while here on earth, even though she had many struggles throughout her life.\u00a0 But I shared that Margaret believed that God\u2019s glory is different for each of us – and it\u2019s not ours to decipher.\u00a0 Her belief was that we must let Jesus define the glory for us or we will miss it entirely. It\u2019s not the destination we should be waiting for, but it\u2019s the journey we should be treasuring.<\/p>\n
I found that Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in the Consumer Culture<\/em> focused not on the journey, but more on the destination.\u00a0 By that, I mean it was a book that was focused on analyzing the consumeristic aspects of the church and its \u2018superficial religious practices,\u2019[1]<\/a> but not truly understanding the gift that so many churches bring to their communities.\u00a0 The author noted that parishioners (consumers) were not gaining true faith and\/or deeper meaning in their faith.[2]<\/a>\u00a0 Yet, I don\u2019t think Miller truly touched on the \u2018journey\u2019 of our churches and the progress that has been taking place within so many churches today – stretching more than ever into the secular world to help the broken individuals outside the church doors.\u00a0 This is a new journey for many churches and brings us closer to the vision that I believe Christ had for Christians and for His church.<\/p>\n In the book, Servant Leadership<\/em>: Jesus and Paul<\/em>, the author explores the leadership of Jesus and noted that He carried out His mission in contrast to the current day leadership during His time on earth.[3]<\/a>\u00a0 And Jesus\u2019 purpose was always focused on serving those who were suffering and struggling through the burdens of life.\u00a0 So, it is imperative for church leaders to ask:\u00a0 who is attending to the poor and oppressed?\u00a0 This was the focal point of Jesus – and should be our focal point as well.\u00a0 As the author asked: \u201cWhat is it that is demanded from us on behalf of those who suffer ongoing persecution, poverty, rejection, and turmoil?\u201d[4]<\/a> \u00a0Without question, it is to reach outside the church doors and LOVE<\/strong>!\u00a0 I truly believe this is an answer to help us move away from the fear of consumerism towards the gift of servanthood for others.\u00a0 And I see so many churches today embracing this philosophy in an engaging and positive way.<\/p>\n As Christian leaders, there are so many different components to leadership \u2013 and we wear many different hats.\u00a0 Because of this, it is often difficult to focus on the broken individuals and their needs when there is a whole church family to help and support.\u00a0 I know I felt this responsibility when I served as a director of various non-profit organizations in my community.\u00a0 I wanted to save the world, but I found that I often felt like a failure, because I would sometimes miss the needs of individuals as I was focusing on running a major entity. \u00a0Yet, as leaders, we do the best we can and strive to truly make a difference.\u00a0 That\u2019s what it is all about!<\/p>\n I think one of the things I love so much about Hospice Chaplaincy is that I have no other responsibilities than loving on hurting individuals – one at a time.\u00a0 Yet, I am truly only touching one individual at a time instead of reaching the masses as so many church leaders do.\u00a0 Is it really enough?\u00a0 I don\u2019t know, but I do know that, for that one person at any one given moment in time \u2013 we can make a difference.\u00a0 So that is what fulfills me.\u00a0 I look at it like the little boy who was surrounded by thousands of clams on the seashore and he was throwing one clam at a time back into the ocean.\u00a0 As an old man passes, he says, \u201cHey, boy, you\u2019re not really making a difference.\u00a0 There are thousands of clams dying on the shore here.\u201d\u00a0 But as the little boy throws another clam into the water, he said, \u201cMaybe so, but I do know I just made a difference to HIM!\u201d<\/p>\n Sometimes, we just need to reach out where we can and realize that we can\u2019t change the whole world, but we can make a difference\u2026.to one individual at a time!\u00a0 As Mahatma Gandhi once said, \u201cIn a gentle way, you can shake the world.\u201d\u00a0 So, in our own gentle way, through our churches and individually, let\u2019s continue to work towards shaking the world!<\/strong><\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Vincent J. Miller, Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture<\/em> (London: Continuum, 2005).<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n