Countdown to Sunday

The day is off and running.  I can finally see the top of my desk again after having it been hidden from my eyes for many days under piles of work.  I am not done catching up, but I am further down the track than I was a week ago!

The upcoming Constituency Meeting scheduled for this coming Sunday seems to be on a lot of people’s minds.  The office has been a whirlwind of activity for about a month now, with the pace picking up the last few days.  I have been asked to lead the pre-session song service.   Phil Draper will be playing the piano and organ (not at the same time).  I am looking forward to that part of the program.  I must confess that I am not sure I am looking forward to the rest of the day at this point.

I recognize the need for organization and process.  A system needs to have these ingredients in order to survive.  However, I can’t help but note that these very same systems can become systems or self-perpetuation if there is there is no system of checks and balances.  Sadly, religious systems are not exempt from this transition from movement to museum.  Politics are not by nature evil—they are, after all ingrained into the human psyche.  Like civility, they are necessary to organize governance structures.  By the same token, civility can mask Machiavellian motives, and politics can become a weapon of mass destruction. 

Although I have never been on this side of a constituency meeting, I have been on the other side and have witnessed enough of the seedy side of humanity cloaked in religious-speak.   But this is the system of church governance we have been given, and it does work as it was intended to.  I do wonder if there will ever come a time when people of God will pray together for the Holy Spirit to make clear the choices that need to be made.  What ever became of casting lots?  How about the Urim and the Thummim?  I know a lot of people are praying earnestly for the meetings and for God’s will to be done; in the process as well as the results.

On a personal note as a student of human nature—I enjoy seeing such events develop and witnessing the various personalities that make such meetings unforgettable, often times for reasons not apparent to the people involved.  I do have a report to give towards the end of the session, but it should be brief and perhaps even offer opportunities for people to ask questions.  Maybe I am looking forward to the day after all….