And Mr. Bell has committed his congregation to one other religious obligation. He is withdrawing the church’s money, several hundred thousand dollars, from its account with the Bank of America. By the April weekend when Christians mourn Jesus’ crucifixion and celebrate his resurrection, Mr. Bell said, he will have moved the assets to a local bank as a protest against Bank of America’s role in mass foreclosures and to issue a call for its repentance. (see the full article @ http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/10/us/churches-send-repentence-message-to-banks.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=mortgage%20crisis%20inspires%20churches&st=cse)

So tonight I give thanks to God that one of the many signs of spiritual renewal I see among my congregational leaders is the willingness to discern and wait on God's Spirit. They don't need to rush into decision making. They are not addicted to being hyper-active. And they aren't reactive to the time table of others who don't share their commitments.

Rather they are deliberate. They are willing to take time to think and pray and talk together - and wait as if God were really in charge.  Like Abraham Lincoln once said, "“Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.”

This is Sabbath spirituality at its best:  if we can set aside 24 hours to wait and trust that God is really God and doesn't need us to rush to fix everything that is broken, we can also wait to let the Spirit of the Lord guide us into right action for peace and justice.  I celebrate my lay leaders tonight because they know that God is God - and in this we can rest in Christ's peace and follow. Douglas John Hall once wrote of the church:

Religion has always functioned in human life and society as a sphere of reliability, a place to stand, a "rock of ages" and "mighty fortress" - and Christian purists deceive themselves if they imagine that their faith permits no such usage... woe be to any any Christian movement that in the name of political activism or worldly engagement discards or minimizes Christ's invitation to rest... And at the same time there is always a fine line between faith and religious escapism.

I give thanks to God that my leader are willing to wrestle with this challenge: God bless them all.

Love and Truth meet in the street,
Right Living and Whole Living embrace and kiss!
Truth sprouts green from the ground,
Right Living pours down from the skies!
Oh yes! God gives Goodness and Beauty;
our land responds with Bounty and Blessing.
Right Living strides out before him,
and clears a path for his passage.