Un-Do

I’m the kind of guy who can’t sit still. When I go to a thing, I can’t just go there, I need a purpose, a job to do. I don’t care if it is taking out the trash. Yesterday, that’s what I did. I took out the trash. I was at this church dinner with no job to do, so I took out the trash.

That’s the thing. Most Sundays when I go to church I’ve got a job to do – like playing in the band or saying a prayer or serving up the communion or doing something or other. I like Sundays like that. I feel productive, like I’m doing something like serving the Lord, which feels good, you know?

I have a friend who is a big time leader in our community. He’s been having a hard time with church lately. Part of it has to do with the fact that he is a big time leader and the church staff is always hitting him up to serve on this or that committee – use his gifts for the Lord.

He was telling me that all week he uses his gifts for the Lord being a big time leader in our community – that what he really needs is to be able to go to church and not let doing anything get in the way of worship.

I’m sitting there listening to my friend and I think, “Wow, what’s wrong with me that I can’t stop using my gifts for the Lord?”

Is that a problem?

What if it is?

You see, I can’t sit still. I go to church, and I do the same old stuff that I do all week – lead this, lead that – it’s like I can’t stop.

I let the doing get in the way.

Maybe church for some of us is to stop doing – simply worship.

So I went to church this week. I slipped in the back because I was late. I sang the songs someone else was leading. I didn’t go back to be one of the prayer guys. I received communion instead of administering it. I received. I un-did. It wasn’t easy.

Because I’m the kind of guy who can’t sit still. I need a purpose, a job to do.

And this week I heard that still small voice ask me to take an hour off. Just one hour – to un-do and simply be.

I wonder – for some of us – what if that is what church is meant to be?