Sanctified Hyper-Flexibility


“We fear change.”  —Garth Algar, Wayne’s World (1992)

Indeed, we do fear change.  Some more so than others, but all of us are creatures of habit.  We get into a groove, know what to expect, and find a sense of security in that familiarity and predictability.   When an event, person, or thing comes along and threatens our status quo, we can begin to feel nervous or even anxiety-ridden.  We’ve all experienced it, perhaps when new management assumed the helm at our workplace, when we became part of a mixed family, when we moved to a new state, or when our favorite restaurant went under (this one keeps happening to me).

A quite common reaction to the new normal is to do whatever necessary to accommodate it to our preferences.  If we can’t have the old normal, maybe it would be even better to mold the new space so that it makes us feel optimally safe and comfortable.  We could call this the impulse to contend for our preferences.

Another reaction is to resist change altogether.  Even though obvious and even irrevocable change has taken place, the attempt is made to replicate the old normal as much as possible.  “This isn’t how we’ve always done things.”  “The old way is better; why can’t we just keep doing that?”  “This is different—I don’t like it.”  We could call this the impulse to turn back time.

There may be other common reactions to change, but these two can be quite damaging to any body of people, especially a church like ours on the eve of perhaps the greatest change we’ve experienced in our short history.  Lord willing, we have two more Sundays of worship in the building at Cox Road.  Then we’ll be moving to a new space, a new normal.  If we contend for our preferences or try to turn back time, it is likely that we will face conflict that could derail our focus on gospel ministry.  

I’d like to take just a moment to put these things in perspective for all of us, including myself.  I don’t like change.  However, if we all make a concerted effort by the grace of God to keep our eyes on the big picture, we will breeze through this transition with the biggest challenge being physically moving all our stuff.  To keep things in perspective, I would propose that we all think about what is changing compared to what is not changing.

What’s changing

Our address: For the last 10+ years, we’ve worshiped at 7938 Cox Road.  We will now be worshipping at 7000 Summerhill Drive.  Our new location is no longer two turns off of I-75.  It will likely take some of us several minutes longer to get to church.  For some it will be shorter.

Aesthetics: The building doesn’t look the same.  Doesn’t smell the same.  Some will find this wonderful; others not so much.  Some of us will find the extra space refreshing; others like to be “cozy.”  

Service and class times: We will be moving to one service with the Sunday school hour preceding it.  We will all be able to worship together regularly for the first time in about 10 years.   

Our familiar spots:  Some of us park our vehicle in the same spot every week.  We tend to sit in the same seats every Sunday during worship.  Our move means different parking spots, different seats.  


What’s staying the same

God:  What a wonderful thought.  We live in a world of constant change, but we serve a God who never changes.  This means that as the whole world is in flux around us, we can trust Him.  Psalm 46:1-3: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

Us:  Certainly, we are all in progress and changing all the time, but what I mean is that we will be the same church worshipping at 7000 Summerhill that worshipped for years at 7938 Cox.  Same church—flawed believers who love each other.  Because we’re flawed and make mistakes, there will be tweaks to make here and there in the weeks surrounding the transition.  We should be able to take this in stride because we’ve always been flawed, made mistakes, and adjusted the way we do things.  Wonderfully, though the aesthetics will be different, the faces will not.  Praise God for that.

The Gospel and our commitment to it:  There are NO theological or philosophical changes coming with our new address.  We will continue to be God-centered, Bible-focused, and gospel-driven.  Our convictions and philosophy of ministry will remain unchanged.


It strikes me that a major difference between the above lists is that all the things that are changing are temporal in nature.  The things staying the same are eternal.  That’s perspective we need.  As we are confronted with new things that are unusual, difficult, or uncomfortable, we should be reminded, “The temporal details are changing.  The eternal essentials are not.  We trust not in predictability, but in a God who does not change.”

With this perspective in mind, Paul called the believers at Philippi to what we might call sanctified hyper-flexibility: Let your reasonableness be known to everyone (Phil. 4:5).  Be so reasonable that it draws the attention of the world as being something other-worldly.  It’s essential for the survival of a church like ours as much as it was for the church at Philippi.  

To that end, let’s not fear change, but embrace it as the gift of an unchanging God who uses it to cause us both to hold loosely to the temporal things of this life and to cling tenaciously to the eternal things of this life and the next.  

The week prior to our first meeting will provide much opportunity to practice this sanctified hyper-flexibility and to serve the Lord and one another.  There is much work to be done—unpacking and setting up the new building, in particular.  Many hands make light work.  Friday, Feb 28 and Sat, Feb 29 will be our unpacking days.  Please make every effort to join us in this endeavor.  Talk to Becky Bolser to see what you can do.


Blessings!  

Comments