Pastor's Message

by the Rev. Dr. Marcia Cox

In this season of light we call Epiphany, light is not only as something we receive so we can read, live, and function as humans but also as something we give. With light, however, invariably comes shadow--and in Lent we have the "opportunity" to look at the shadow sides of this congregation and ourselves. We look into our shadows with the light God gives us so we may continue to grow.

Some common shadows which show up in life are the following:

Denial of death, fear of failure, fear of the negative. Programs, structures, and ideas that should be laid down years ago continue with life-support because "we've always done it this way". What in our congregational life or our personal life do we need to give up and turn our energies into a different direction? The gifts we receive when we are open to something new can be greater efficiency, greater inclusion, and greater creativity. (Some people are afraid to greet others for fear of rejection or embarrassment. What a more welcoming place we could have if we could get over that fear!) Remember, one definition of insanity is expecting different results by continuing in the same behavior!

Functional atheism. This is the belief that ultimate responsibility for everything rests on one's self. "If anything decent is going to happen here, I'm the one who needs to make it happen." Functional atheism is the reason why the average group can tolerate only 15 seconds of silence. It is also behind workaholism, burnout, and stress. The great gift we receive in this reflection is the certain knowledge that ours is not the only answer. Not only are there other solutions, but some of them, from time to time, are even better than ours!

Fear of the natural chaos of life. This particular shadow gets projected outward as rigidity of rules, procedures, and manuals. It creates a culture that is imprisoning rather than empowering. God creates out of chaos…and any organization or individual that doesn't have an arena of creative chaos is already half dead.

Lastly…the last shadow that is inside organizational structures as well as ourselves is that belief that the universe is essentially hostile to humans and life is fundamentally a battleground. We talk about "target" audiences, using our "big guns", we need to "do or die". We use "tactics and strategies" as we plot to move people in one direction or another. In reality, the world is competitive but only because we make it that way. There are ways of working in which consensus, cooperation and teamwork create a different kind of community. It is more than semantics; it is an entire perspective on the way we arrange the "furniture" in our minds and hearts. We all know how different a room can look if we add a recliner or we add an antique.

As we shine the light of Christ into the shadows we cast as individuals and as a congregation, may God give us the courage to stay open to God's leading!

Excerpts/thoughts taken from "Leading from Within: Reflections on Spirituality and Leadership," Parker Palmer, The Servant Leadership School, Washington, D.C.

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The Augustanan
Newsletter
February 2005

This Issue:

Pastor's Message
Ask the Pastor
Faith in Action
Accessibility Update
Lenten Services
From the Intern's Desk
Adult Education
Committee Schedule
Calendar

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The Augustanan Home

Augustana Lutheran Church

Augustana Lutheran Church
2100 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20009-6507

Church Office Hours:
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