When I read the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament I cannot help but contrast the explosion of the earliest Church with the assumptions most of us have regarding the Church in our day. The contrast isn’t so much about buildings to maintain, salaries to provide for, programs to fund and worship to perform. The contrast is one of expectations. Despite an extremely hostile social environment, political discrimination , religious persecution and internal squabbles, the earliest Christians expected God to do great things in them, for them and through them.
The crucial deciding factor in the character of most parishes involves expectations. If we expect little from God, God will most often oblige us.
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009
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For me, expectations can be a double-edged sword. I agree whole-heartedly that we get what we expect (particularly of ourselves). At the same time, I feel that alignment of those expectations is critical when we talk about a group or parish. When a group (or an individual) has high expecations without inner alignment, the result is usually a frustrated purpose. On the other hand, when a group has both, meaining high expectations and alignment around those expectations, it can move mountains. May we always have both at St. Thomas!
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