Get Her Words Out

On Being Other

For Family Of Christ PC(USA), Greeley, CO.

August 14, 2011

Isaiah 56:1-8

Matthew 15:21-28

 

It's interesting that these two texts came up in the lectionary on a Sunday that I was going to preach.  I've spent a good bit of time with both of them, although I have studied them for different reasons.

One, the Isaiah text, is a text that I have loved for very personal reasons.  Its oracle of radical inclusion, particularly of the inclusion of eunuchs is very important to me.

The time I spent with the Matthew text was less voluntary and personal. Part of the process of becoming a minister in the PC(USA) is a series of Ordination Exams.  The standard path through the exams starts in your first year of seminary with the multiple choice Bible Content Exam, the most straight forward of the exams.  In your third year you dig into the other four exams.  There are three sit-down, limited time exams, Worship and Sacraments, Theology, and Presbyterian Polity.  Each exam consists of three essay questions that you have three hours to answer.  On the exam weekend, you take them on Friday morning, Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.

Then at noon Saturday comes the beginning of the last of the exams, the Biblical Exegesis Exam. This is a take home, open book exam that you have until 10:00am Thursday morning to finish.  During those five days you do very little but study the text that has been assigned for the exam.

And guess what, this morning's Gospel text is the New Testament text that my Exegesis Ord was focused on.  I have a 16 page scholarly paper already written about the story of the Canaanite woman, so I'm good to go on the sermon, right? Well, let's take a look at a section on the use of the verb Apoluson, shall we?

Experience

I had my nose rubbed in something this week that I had noticed before and which I find really frustrating.  It seems like, in the PC(USA) at least, that the work that a person does as a member of the church counts for nothing when it comes to seeking work within the church.

Where I was forced to face this idea this week was during an interview for a DCE position. 

I freely admit that I have never been paid to be a DCE, but I have, and my resume shows this, taught Sunday School to both youth and adults, taught part of my home church's  Elder training, taught Eighth Grade Bible study in the Logos program for years, been a youth advisor in two different churches, been a Small Group Leader at five Montreat Youth Conferences, Co-chaired the Logos committee at my home church and chaired both the Youth and CE committees.

So what was the first question I was asked during the interview?  "You have no direct experience, do you?"

The other place I get this is from the people who keep telling me that what I need is to go do an internship in a church so that I can get experience with how churches operate and what it is like to be in a church.  Because, obviously, I'm fresh out of seminary and have never experienced real life in a church.

In addition to the education experience above, I have served on the Sessions of two churches, I have been a Clerk of Session, I have been a Lay Pastor and Supply Preacher, I have been a church secretary, I have chaired Building & Grounds and Finance committees, I have been a YAD to a Synod and a commissioner to a number of Presbytery meetings.  I have hung sheetrock in the CE building, poured concrete for the new swing set outside, pulled pork for the church BBQ, painted murals in the youth rooms and made banners for the sanctuary.

But what I really need is to do an internship so that I can see how a church really works. 

Now, is this just me, am I just doomed to live out a life of crappy, entry level jobs no matter how much training, experience or talent I have?  Or is this a larger truth, is the work of the lay members of the church really considered meaningless and worthless?  Why?