Bring Everyone Along: Open-ness

by Lisa Allgood, Executive Presbyter

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”                                                                                                                                                                   – Romans 12:2

At a recent Council meeting, we asked each Council member what word they wanted us to hear/apply this year as we seek, together, to do the will of the Lord on behalf of the Presbytery.

One word was “open-ness”. A great word.  In the context of the conversation, it was open-ness to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as the Council works on behalf of the Presbytery.

But I think it could be expanded in so many ways – open-ness to walking with God on a path we wouldn’t choose for ourselves (and might even try to avoid – think of Jonah). Psalm 143:8 – “show me where to walk, for I come to You in prayer” is one of my favorites.  

Open-ness to boldly proclaiming the faith and hope we have whenever we get a chance to do so (1 Peter 3:15). Open-ness to healing the marginalized, the homeless, the poor, the oppressed, all around us (Matthew 25). Open-ness to bringing in new people to our church – people who don’t look like us, who don’t worship exactly the way we’ve always done it (it’s still worship – trust me; God gets to decide that, and oh-by-the-way it might open up new ways of understanding Him if we let it) (Psalm 119:18). 

And what if we’re not open-minded?  James had something to say about that (James 1:5-8): “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”

It’s easier many times to cling to what we know, to what is comfortable, to what is familiar.  But that’s a form of close-mindedness.  That leads to stagnation in our walk with the Lord and our worship of Him.   That leads to dying churches.

Easter is this week.  That first Easter was a revolution, a transformation, the likes of which the world had never seen and was not prepared for.  So this Easter, we challenge you to transform your minds – stay open to the Spirit, and let the powerful love of our Lord transform everything we are and everything we think and everything we embrace.  It might just transform our church.