By DAVID EPPS
Pastor

I believe that the Lord still speaks to people. Most of the time, I find that He speaks through His Word, through other people, through circumstances, and even (on rare occasions) through sermons. Recently, I discovered anew that He also speaks in the most mundane, routine, thankless tasks.

Our church recently purchased nearly 12 acres of land for the placement of a future church building. In the meantime, we are meeting in borrowed facilities, saving our money, and making our plans. There is a house on this new land that, while not suitable for a Sunday worship service, may have valuable uses for other purposes.

In any event, we are doing a fair amount of work renovating this house. We have had two work days with people from our congregation swarming over the property like ants doing whatever needs to be done. During our last work day, I was given the assignment of painting the trim in one of the bedrooms.

I was alone in the room and, for an hour and a half, put the headphones on, listened to worship tapes, and painted.

Do you know how boring it is to paint the trim? It seemed, to me, that painfully little progress was being made in the room and that this simple assignment was taking forever! In addition, I knew that, when I had finished the task of painting the trim, I would have to do it all over again, as a second coat would be required. There is very little excitement in painting the trim.

After an hour and a half, I stretched, took a diet cola break, and walked through the house. I was surprised and impressed by the significant progress that had been made in the other rooms of the house as others faithfully did their part. As I returned to the room to resume painting, the lesson came: “Like this house, life is a work in progress.”

I believe that one of the faults of the evangelical church is the assumption that, if one only can acquire enough knowledge, then growth, success, and progress will automatically come. Evangelicals love sermons, teaching tapes, books, seminars, and seminaries. The main requirement for a pastor in the evangelical church is that he have the ability to teach and preach. Every pastor has a favorite knockout “trial sermon” with which to impress pulpit committees and wow the seeking congregation.

Pentecostals and charismatics, on the other hand tend to be addicted to the “quick fix.” They like to cast it out, lay hands on it, heal it, deliver it, and claim it all before the end of the current worship service.

Pentecostals and charismatics (PCs) often have a disturbing tendency to wander like nomads from church to church and meeting to meeting to discover where the current spiritual “fix” may be administered. There is also a pattern among many PCs to seek out men and women who appear to have a special anointing (often related to loudness, energy and sweat) to pray and “make it so.” If you aren't healed right now, today, this very moment, then the fault must lie with you.

Liturgical churches, for their part, often focus on doing their spiritual and social duty. Mainline denominations often believe that life will be better if the “systems” can be changed.

Several years ago, “liberation theology” captured the minds of many as whole denominations funded revolutionary movements. Liturgical churches have been actively involved in the abolition of slavery, child labor law reform, prison reform, the civil rights movement, women's rights, and other causes, some of which (like “homosexual rights” and aggressive environmentalism) are downright repugnant to evangelicals and PCs.

Evangelicals can preach, charismatics get excited, and liturgical believers build magnificent buildings, conduct beautiful worship services, work for justice, and help the poor. Not that there is anything wrong with preaching, prayer, or consistent social action. But, at the end of the day, life, like the renovation of a house, is a work in progress. It takes work and it requires consistency.

There are lessons about life than can be learned from the renovation of a house. Some of the nuggets of knowledge that came throughout the day, during the painting of the trim, included the following:

• Before a renovation can take place, a “tearing out” process must begin. Old carpet, old drapes, a wall here and there.... Like the house, God sometimes allows our life to be ripped apart prior to a rebuilding project.

• The change occurs both instantly and over a of period of time.

• The work always takes longer than you thought it would.

• People you thought would come and help you don't.... People you didn't know were interested will come along beside you and lend their assistance.

• Things you thought you couldn't do you will learn to do.

• Someone will always criticize your best efforts.

• If you make a mess of things, you will usually have an opportunity to make it right.

• More is happening around you than you can see at the time.

• There is always more trash than you thought there was ... and it always takes more effort to get rid of the trash than you thought it would.

• Others will help you if you swallow your pride and ask them.

• If you do the small things well, eventually the big picture will take care of itself.

• Don't worry about what others are or are not doing. Just do the task you have been assigned.

• You must always keep the long view in mind or the mundane things will overwhelm you.

• You don't have to get everything done in one day.

• Some things are in pretty good shape while other things need a great deal of attention.

• Unless you totally waste your day, progress is being made continually.

• Over time, the change is dramatic.

• You will never really be finished. There is always going to be more work to do.

• There is great satisfaction in finishing what your started.

So, there you have it. There isn't one sermon, one laying on of hands, or one social project that will make everything perfect. Life is a restoration project. It is a work in progress.

[Father David Epps is a priest and founding pastor at Christ the King Church. He may be contacted at FatherDavidEpps@aol.com or at www.ChristTheKingCEC.com]

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