By the Rev. Cara Scriven | Tacoma District Superintendent
During the first season of the HBO show Game of Thrones, I fell in love with Lord Eddard Stark(1). He was strong and noble, a man who was determined to do the right thing, and it didn’t hurt that he was good looking. When the penultimate episode of that season arrived, I was completely unprepared for how it would unfold. I was expecting that Lord Stark, who had been imprisoned for acting out his noble self, would be released or saved in some manner that might allow me to follow his story line in subsequent seasons.
But this is not what happened. Instead, poor Eddard was beheaded. As the episode finished, I yelled at the television and swore to never watch the show again – a vow I was unable to keep.
[pull_quote_right]We’d like to think that we can predict what will happen if we read the right signs and analyze all the best data. Yet, in the story of our faith, surprises happen all too often.[/pull_quote_right]There is a tendency to believe that surprises like these are uncommon in the real world. We’d like to think that we can predict what will happen if we read the right signs and analyze all the best data. Yet, in the story of our faith, surprises happen all too often. David, the youngest child, is picked to be a King. Esther, an orphaned Jewish exile, becomes queen. Jesus, born to an unwed peasant woman, is the Messiah. And it is the female followers of Jesus, not the male disciples, who first believe and announce his resurrection.
Unexpected surprises happen quite frequently in Scripture. And yet, we often are unprepared for what happens next.
For decades now, leaders serving various denominations have known that the church universal is in need of renewal. In The United Methodist Church, we have sought this renewal by retraining our pastors and lay people, planting more churches, updating our facilities, and reinventing worship; and then reinventing it again.
It is a cultural conceit to believe that we will be the people who will bring revival to the church. And why wouldn’t we believe this? We are called the first world for a reason, right? We are powerful and blessed. Clearly, we know what God wants. But do we, really?
When Elijah is on the mountain in 1 Kings 19, he is waiting for God to pass by. He expects God to come in some great form. First in the wind, then in the earthquake, and then in fire. But God does not appear. It is only in the sound of sheer silence that God appears to Elijah; a completely unexpected place if you are looking for an all powerful God.
[pull_quote_left]Perhaps, the renewal of the church is not going to come from our own corner of the world. And maybe that is okay.[/pull_quote_left]Perhaps, the renewal of the church is not going to come from our own corner of the world. And maybe that is okay. For those in the North, renewal may come from our brothers and sisters in the South. For those in the West, renewal may arrive in the hands of our sisters and brothers from the East. For progressives, renewal may come in the faces and love of those who are more traditional (and the same may be true in reverse). For protestants, renewal may even come from a Roman Catholic like Pope Francis.
The renewal of the church is God’s territory – God’s job. It is our job, to join in what God is already doing, right now. Despite this, we continue to imagine we know how the story will end. If we think we know Lord Eddard Stark will live, we might want to think again.
For God has a habit of coming in places and using people we least expect. If this is our faith, and if we truly believe it, then it is time to embrace one another as we look with anticipation for the signs of renewal, the Holy Spirit, and God’s movement today in the world. I pray that we have the courage to join God in this amazing work.
Where do you see God working in unexpected ways today?
1. Please note that this show, based on the series of novels entitled A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, is intended for mature audiences and is certainly best avoided at youth gatherings and may not offer many easy-to-edit sermon clips.
