By Rev. Canon Val Kenyon
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour.
Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Romans 12:9-13
Do you have as many lists in your life as I do? Did you know that you can visit websites and buy books that contain lists of lists of all kinds?
There are also movies about lists: Steven Spielberg’s classic black and white Schindler’s List, a true story of a German businessman who used a list of names to save more than 1,000 Jews from the concentration camps on Nazi Germany; or the Bucket List, with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, a film which portrays the story of two terminally ill men who escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip to beat all road trips with a wild wish list of to-do’s before they die.
Why do we love lists so much? I suspect that it may be because lists help us to grapple with and organize large amounts of information. They help us to bring order to our chaos and to organize what might otherwise be overwhelming.
By creating lists, we can distill down the information so that it is easier to note what items rise to the top. Making lists can relieve stress and help focus our minds. In the end lists formed with our own priorities in mind, will undoubtedly help direct us through our day, our week, our month, our year, even our lives.
Scripture is full of lists. In Matthew’s Gospel (Chapter 16) Christ shares with his disciples a brief list of what it is to be a follower of his. Christ’s disciples are to deny themselves, to take up their cross and to follow.
In Romans 12 (for a portion, see above), there are a number of imperatives, a sort of a ‘how-to guide’ suggested by Paul for any community or any individual who wish to pattern their lives after that of the crucified and risen Christ and to actually live a life where they deny themselves, take up their cross and follow.
As we enter this fresh new season of Fall, an unofficial New Year of sorts, what is on our lists? What are our priorities?
As disciples of Jesus, what is rising to the top of those lists in our lives, and in the life of the communities in which we worship and serve?
As a learning, diverse and just church, where are our energies and resources being spent, and are our lists beckoning us in different directions?
At Education for Ministry, as we begin our sessions again this month, these are the kind of questions we will be asking in many ways throughout our year ahead.
As Scripture is reflected on, tradition and history examined, and the relevance of our faith in our everyday life considered in our group conversations, as we form, reform, and form again our lists, through all of this, we trust in God’s grace to order and direct not just our lists, but also our lives.
Should you wish to add Education for Ministry to your list, be brave and reach out. It is early in the year and classes are still forming. Either Libi Clifford, the Diocese of Huron EfM Coordinator or me, Val Kenyon, at EFM@huron.anglican.ca are here to consider with you the possibilities.
Rev. Canon Dr. Val Kenyon is EFM Animator in Huron.