Choosing a chair

I wrote my Clergyview article in time for next Tuesday's dead line. Our local newspaper, the Brainerd Dispatch, has a religion section with the opportunity for local clergy to submit articles. Those of you, (the four of you?) who read this blog, can read it again next Friday in the paper. You will find it in back of the sports section but that's another story!

Clergyview for Sept 14th 2007
I saw some coverage in the news about the death of the great Italian opera tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, on September 6th. What I know about opera wouldn’t even fill out a decent sized paragraph. I don’t say that with pride, just a confession of my ignorance that I might correct someday. But I have run across this story (from a source I have misplaced.)

He says that when he was a boy, his father, a baker, introduced him to the wonders of song, and urged him to work hard to develop his voice. Pavarotti took his father's advice But he also enrolled in a teachers' college, and upon graduation he asked his father, "Shall I be a teacher or a singer?" "Luciano," his father replied, ‘if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them.
For life, you must choose one chair."
Pavarotti said, "I chose one. It took seven years of study and frustration before I made my first professional appearance. It took another seven to reach the Metropolitan Opera. And now I think whether it's laying bricks, writing a book--whatever we choose--we should give ourselves to it."

Part of me responds to the story by saying that sometimes we can find or create new “chairs” that combine our multiple talents and callings. But the point of that little story has to do with commitment, discipline or giving ourselves to something. Wholeheartedly, or at least in a direction over time!

Pavarotti, like many others who excelled in some way, picked a chair, choose a path, made a commitment and then studied , practiced, worked and honed the skills, developed the talents and pursued the vision. I don’t see any quick results in his story. Seven years before he made his first professional appearance! Fourteen before the Met! He mentions frustration. If we read between the lines, I’m guessing he had some times of failure, discouragement, impatience, doubts and weariness.

Could that also be true for our spiritual life, faith development and callings of ministry and discipleship? We have some “chairs to fill” in being people of prayer and spiritual formation. Do we stick with it? We have chairs to fill in overcoming poverty. Are we giving ourselves to it in a determined and studied effort? This will take more than seven years! We have chairs to occupy in terms of providing health care and education for all people. We have “chairs to” fill according to Matthew 25 :31- about people who are hungry, thirsty, sick, or needing the “clothes” of dignity. We need to “chair” the ministries of outreach , community and compassion in Christ. Giving ourselves to Jesus is about giving our life to a New Life of love, peace, forgiveness, personal and social transformation. It is about following Jesus. Are you giving yourself to it? Jesus talked about the cost of discipleship as a way of being “real” with us. This will not be the easy chair.“Take up your cross; deny yourself”
You might think about what you are deciding to “sit with” in your life when you take that seat in a worship service. Is this your chair? Have a chair. May I offer you a chair? Don’t leave too soon!.