Our Trajectory
A reading for Tuesday, September 30, 2014: Luke 5:12-26.
There is a trajectory to every organization and every cause. When the mission is clear, the trajectory is upward. People are inspired and join. Crowds gather to see what is happening. Success almost seems too easy.
Success offers comfort and a sense of contentment. The cause takes time to enjoy its accomplishments and celebrate. But if we aren't careful then we begin to forget the mission that brought us together. The upward peak reaches a pinnacle and quickly begins to trend downward.
On the way down, those that are still connected with the organization or cause want to save it. However, without the clear mission our work become regulatory and protective. Risks are avoided and because the original mission required risk, the cause gets even further disconnected.
At this point, nothing can happen again until the mission is recovered. If the cause cannot rediscover its mission, the trend will continue for as long as the resources and the people that are connected last.
In today's lesson, we see the upward trending of Jesus and the mission of God, while at the very same time the downward trending of the Pharisees and the religious leaders of the age. People are inspired and gather in crowds as Jesus heals and performs miracles that demonstrate the power of God. The Jewish leaders however are there to worry and to protect the "sanctity" of the faith. The two groups are on a collision course... one is trending up and the other down.
What is our trajectory? Are we connected to our mission? Or are we protecting our success? Is the crowd gathering or just the leaders wringing their hands? What is our trajectory as a church and even in our personal faith?
The good news is that the mission of God can save us!
There is a trajectory to every organization and every cause. When the mission is clear, the trajectory is upward. People are inspired and join. Crowds gather to see what is happening. Success almost seems too easy.
Success offers comfort and a sense of contentment. The cause takes time to enjoy its accomplishments and celebrate. But if we aren't careful then we begin to forget the mission that brought us together. The upward peak reaches a pinnacle and quickly begins to trend downward.
On the way down, those that are still connected with the organization or cause want to save it. However, without the clear mission our work become regulatory and protective. Risks are avoided and because the original mission required risk, the cause gets even further disconnected.
At this point, nothing can happen again until the mission is recovered. If the cause cannot rediscover its mission, the trend will continue for as long as the resources and the people that are connected last.
In today's lesson, we see the upward trending of Jesus and the mission of God, while at the very same time the downward trending of the Pharisees and the religious leaders of the age. People are inspired and gather in crowds as Jesus heals and performs miracles that demonstrate the power of God. The Jewish leaders however are there to worry and to protect the "sanctity" of the faith. The two groups are on a collision course... one is trending up and the other down.
What is our trajectory? Are we connected to our mission? Or are we protecting our success? Is the crowd gathering or just the leaders wringing their hands? What is our trajectory as a church and even in our personal faith?
The good news is that the mission of God can save us!
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