I was listening to ESPN radio the other day. (Don’t act shocked, and but don’t believe for a minute that the only thing Pastors listen to is KLOVE!) The show’s host was talking about sport fan’s expectations for the athletes and teams they support. I don’t remember his point, but I remember his illustration. (btw- a preacher’s greatest fear)
Suppose that you have two friends. One is fun-loving, always laughing and making you laugh – a blast to be around. But this guy is completely unreliable. He may show up and he may not – you just never know. Another friend is a stick-in-the-mud kind of guy, not the comedian of the group, but rock-solid reliable. He will always be there when you need him. Now suppose you need someone to pick you up early one Saturday morning and have you at the airport in time for a 6:00am flight. The host’s point: “if you ask your unreliable, comedian friend to get you there on time, when he fails to show up and you miss your flight, the fault is yours - not his. You’re the idiot for expecting so much from someone who has proven himself to be completely unreliable. You must learn to “manage your expectations!” This may make for good talk radio – and it may apply to a sport fan’s expectations.
God forbid that “managed expectations” should become the norm in the church. Because someone has missed several Sundays in church, should we expect that from each other and accept their continued absence as the norm? Because someone has had difficulty developing and maintaining meaningful relationships, should we stop encouraging them to share their lives with others within the body? If a brother or sister stumbles in a sin and suffers because of it, should we give up on them and expect him/her to continue in this sin? I think we have seen in the parables that the Shepherd does not say “Oh well, that’s what sheep do, so I’ll just let it go.” Even though sheep are prone to wander from the flock, the shepherd still continues to pursue the one that is straying.
Instead of “managed expectations”, I want to hold for myself and others ‘Biblical expectations’, expectations based on God’s faithful promise that “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence”( 2 Peter 1:3). These expectations are based on God’s covenant promises to me and how those promises apply to our covenant relationship with each other.
You can expect me and the rest of your ministry team to do our best as your Pastors. We’ll do my best to be with you in the trials and joys of life. We’ll do all we can to enable and equip this congregation to be the ministers God has saved us and called us to be.
Am I sometimes disappointed with my brothers and sisters in Christ? The answer is yes. Are they disappointed with me from time to time? Yes, many more times than I am aware of I'm sure. Does that mean we should always expect less from each other? By no means. God does not call us to expect less from each other, but more. And when we fail to meet these expectations, which we certainly will, His grace is sufficient to bring understanding, repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation.
Suppose that you have two friends. One is fun-loving, always laughing and making you laugh – a blast to be around. But this guy is completely unreliable. He may show up and he may not – you just never know. Another friend is a stick-in-the-mud kind of guy, not the comedian of the group, but rock-solid reliable. He will always be there when you need him. Now suppose you need someone to pick you up early one Saturday morning and have you at the airport in time for a 6:00am flight. The host’s point: “if you ask your unreliable, comedian friend to get you there on time, when he fails to show up and you miss your flight, the fault is yours - not his. You’re the idiot for expecting so much from someone who has proven himself to be completely unreliable. You must learn to “manage your expectations!” This may make for good talk radio – and it may apply to a sport fan’s expectations.
God forbid that “managed expectations” should become the norm in the church. Because someone has missed several Sundays in church, should we expect that from each other and accept their continued absence as the norm? Because someone has had difficulty developing and maintaining meaningful relationships, should we stop encouraging them to share their lives with others within the body? If a brother or sister stumbles in a sin and suffers because of it, should we give up on them and expect him/her to continue in this sin? I think we have seen in the parables that the Shepherd does not say “Oh well, that’s what sheep do, so I’ll just let it go.” Even though sheep are prone to wander from the flock, the shepherd still continues to pursue the one that is straying.
Instead of “managed expectations”, I want to hold for myself and others ‘Biblical expectations’, expectations based on God’s faithful promise that “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence”( 2 Peter 1:3). These expectations are based on God’s covenant promises to me and how those promises apply to our covenant relationship with each other.
You can expect me and the rest of your ministry team to do our best as your Pastors. We’ll do my best to be with you in the trials and joys of life. We’ll do all we can to enable and equip this congregation to be the ministers God has saved us and called us to be.
Am I sometimes disappointed with my brothers and sisters in Christ? The answer is yes. Are they disappointed with me from time to time? Yes, many more times than I am aware of I'm sure. Does that mean we should always expect less from each other? By no means. God does not call us to expect less from each other, but more. And when we fail to meet these expectations, which we certainly will, His grace is sufficient to bring understanding, repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation.
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