My "duh" Moment

Remember when we were kids and we learned how to say "Duh!"? Some of us became better than others at getting the eye roll down pat, too.
Well tonight, at age 27 1/2 at exactly 9:44 p.m. CST, I had a "Duh!" moment.
Yesterday I preached a sermon on Hebrews 4:12-16 and the big impetus of my sermon was that the word of God is a living and active partner in our quest towards faithful living. My argument was that we cannot use scripture as a weapon (as many do), the Bible is not a magic 8 ball (I read an excerpt from Augusten Burrough's "Running with Scissors; see "Bible Dipping") and we cannot get "Bible" on Sunday morning alone and call it good. I mentioned that the Bible is there to instruct us and encourage us (see Romans 15) and this was my illustration to illustrate my point:
There's a PBS show on called "Super Why" and it's about these kids who take their life questions to the books for answers. If they have a problem, they consult a children's story and the characters in the book help instruct and encourage the kids in the show to answer their own questions. The background on why I know this (which I didn't include in my sermon) is because I frequently have a "date night" with an honorary sister who has two kids, 4 and 2, who absolutely love "Super Why" and even have most of the songs memorized. With them, I've caught a few episodes.
Now, I have to be honest: I was not a fan when I first watched it. Why? Because they messed up the story of "The Little Red Hen." And by messed up, I mean they used the power of words to change the story so that Little Red Hen actually gets her friends to help her in the end. I was an English major and that makes me kind of a literary snob. I don't like it when people take liberalities with classic stories. So, in the Super Why version of the story, Little Red Hen gets her friends to help her. How? She tells them WHY she needs their help (so she can bake corn bread to feed all her hungry chicks). Suddenly, Little Red Riding Hood knows what she needs to do in order to get her friends to help her pick apples: she needs to tell them WHY.
My point of sharing this with the congregation in my sermon was to illustrate how we, too, can take our questions and our problems to scripture and see examples of people who may not look or live just like us, but they have the same questions and problems as we do: "How do we live as God's children in a broken world?" The Bible is there to encourage and instruct us, so we can use it as a guide. My father has an acronym that he uses: "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth" (B.I.B.L.E.). So true!
Well, now the moment you've been waiting for: my "duh" moment. Tonight I got a free E-book from a Lutheran seminary called "Renew 52" and it's a collection of advice from 50+ leaders 50 years old or younger on how to stimulate and renew a congregation. How do you get a congregation excited about ministry? How do you stimulate volunteers?
The first essay, on leadership, is called "Into the Vision" by Sara Hayden. And Sara's advice to stimulate volunteers and encourage renewal, is, low and behold tell them why.
I laughed a little. I actually startled my cat, who was curled up so nicely at the foot of my bed and proceeded to give me the stink eye because I disturbed him.
"My idea for churches seeking renewal is to start wiht the 'why', the big reason for which the church exists. Every ministry and detail of the church should flow from and come back to that." Sara Hayden is a wise lady.
How often do we ask for things to get done in the church without telling people why? Those of you with toddlers might be sick of the "why" question.
"Go pick up your toys."
"Why?"
"Because I said so."
"Why?"
::facepalm::
Of course, those with teenagers, friends, adult children, and parents might be tire of the "why" question, too. But consider the "why" question in church.
"Why should I volunteer to teach Sunday school?"
Not just beacuse someone asked you to or "guilted you" into doing it. Volunteer to teach Sunday school because your name came up as someone who could bring a lot of gifts and energy to a group of kids who are hungry to learn about their faith. We believe very strongly in our church vision that we encourage all of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and what better way to reach out to our brothers and sisters than reach out when they are young? You have a chance to be part of something awesome!
See the difference?
The "why" is important. It's a good reminder of what we're doing here as a church in the first place. We're not here just to bring in people and expand our building. We're here to encourage people, share the good news of Jesus Christ, and find new ways to worship God. Everything we do should glorify God. That's the "why."
Once we have the "why" we can move on to the "how."

Here's to having "duh" moments at every stage of life!

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Becki

ps: I feel like I should clarify: my "duh" moment was not so much that I've never thought about telling people "why" before. It was just really interesting how connected Super Why was to my sermon and then to this essay on telling the congregation "why." I didn't want it to sound like this was a totally new revelation to me. :)

Dedicated to L and Q G-J