WE NEED GUIDANCE: G.P.S.
Here we are on the precipice of a New Year and writer’s block has jumped on me. BIG TIME. Something significant, important or relevant needs to be shared. What is it? I don’t really know. Inspiration appeared in the form of three common letters G.P.S. On many of the trips I’ve taken that little black box has provided a sense of calm, security and assurance. Now, it also provides an unlikely parallel.
Recently, I loaned my G.P.S. to my daughters for a trip to Cleveland, Ohio. Two hundred plus miles of highway, four hours, careful driving, nightfall and traveling mercies, etc. stood between my daughters and their arrival. However, my concern for their safety and security were few. They had MapQuest, good sense and each other. Plus, they had a Global Positioning System with them. It knew the way just like they did. More importantly, the G.P.S. contained information about every town, village city and street sign along the way. Even if it had to re-calculate because of a change of directions, it could still lead them home. Their chances of getting lost or going astray were extremely limited. As anticipated, they arrived in Michigan safely. They returned the apparatus and thanked me for the guidance it provided.
Of course, no G.P.S. is without drawbacks. While a G.P.S. provides direction, it does not drive the car. While a G.P.S. uses directions stored in its data base, one may find oneself driving “over the hills and through the woods to grandma’s house and a host of unfamiliar domiciles” if the data base is not periodically updated. While a G.P.S. will tell you where to go, it does not usurp free will. The driver is responsible for accepting or rejecting directions given. While a G.P.S. is very reliable, it can malfunction. So, the driver is the ultimate back up system.
Global Positioning Systems are parabolic in nature. To make disciples of Jesus Christ, give to mission, pay our apportionments/ministry shares, do justice, love mercy, work at our spiritual formation etc., the bishop, the pastors and the local churches need guidance. Then and now, we find ourselves unwilling or unable to tamp down our worries about “what we shall eat or drink,” what we shall wear or how we shall live, salary raises, freezes or reductions, paying apportionments /ministry shares, parsonages or housing allowances, strong leadership versus struggling leadership ad infinitum. For these worries and countless more, Christ recommends that we employ his G.P.S. You know of this oft advertised GOD POSITIONING SYSTEM, namely “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Mt. 16:32) Neither check, credit card nor cash is necessary to possess or use it. God’s G.P.S. is free. Its guidance is “spot on.”
In our quest to survive and thrive as United Methodists and Christians, we employ other things to guide us. A pile of strategies for Advocacy, Leadership, Church Growth, Stewardship, Spiritual Formation, Christian Education, Communications and Legislation fill our shelves and crowd our minds. Why? They do not produce the desired effect. Sometimes, they lead us astray. Like the children of Israel, we continue to wander aimlessly. I am painfully aware that Israel’s trek to the Promised Land was not a 40 year journey. They had a God Positioning System but did not employ or follow it. Their priorities were mixed up. To be precise, Israel kept God’s G.P.S re-calculating for 40 years.
Are we like them? Do we have our priorities in the wrong place? If so, can we learn from their mistakes? We have God’s G.P.S. at our disposal. It can guide us well in the 21st if we “seek first the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness.” However, God’s G.P.S. calls for more sacrifice not less, more patience less anxiety, more faith not less, God’s will not ours. Furthermore, the major problem with divine G.P.S. is that it lacks something tangible. There is no screen to see, address to enter, or button to activate. Prima facie evidence is not apparent. To use God’s G.P.S., “we must seek first the kingdom of God” with our whole being. And what the church needs will happen (Mt. 16:32). That’s the promise. Church, our present reality indicates that we need guidance. God has a God Positioning System (G.P.S.) at our disposal. Why not use it?
By: Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton On 1/1/2010
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