Unfinished Business

Will I get my desk cleaned before I depart next week?

Will those who fill in during my absence be impressed with my tidiness and clear organization?

Will we complete all the tasks on the to-do list?

"O Lord, thou knowest..."

This morning, I spent some time with a friend who will have major surgery after my sabbatical begins. He's facing a rather grisly procedure, with a five week recovery period. As I said goodbye, it became crystal clear to me that he is completely in God's hands. There is nothing I can do to improve his situation -- except pray and wait for God to answer

One of the curious by-products of the pastoral life is a heightened sense of our own importance. We ministers spend so much time talking about God that we're tempted to inflate our authority. Or we cling to some primitive myth that we, like God, can be everywhere and do everything.

It's a sham, of course. To be human is to be finite. There are limits to what we can accomplish. A regular Sabbath is a continuing reminder that God must finish the new creation. It's ultimately not up to us. I've been thinking about that a lot, as I try to determine what's essential and what's not.

Cleaning the desk? Actually it's long overdue. It would be a gift for my administrative assistant to be able to find what she needs while I'm gone. And everybody agrees that mildewed sandwich found beneath February's staff meeting agenda can probably be thrown out.

In the words of the Psalms, "Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands — O prosper the work of our hands!" (Psalm 90:17)

And may God finish what we cannot.