As he walked with humanity, Jesus Christ was skilled in the art of drawing the motivations of the human heart to the surface. Jesus revealed the condition of the heart mainly in two ways: through telling stories and by asking questions. His stories typically took the form of a parable–a story within a story designed to get behind the defenses of the heart and mind to reveal the truth about a situation. Jesus’ questions accomplished the same thing, ranging from the seemingly innocent to the piercingly direct.

To the paralytic waiting by the pool of Bethesda (See the Gospel of John, Chapter 5), Jesus asked, “Do you want to get well?” A good question given the paralytic’s thirty-eight years of sitting by the pool with no experience of healing. In this instance, the paralytic was finally able to experience a physical healing, but only after Jesus helped the man come to terms with the real issue behind his lack of healing. The paralytic’s response to Jesus’ question may have been accurate, at least in the man’s own mind, but it comes across as a feeble excuse for inaction.

“Sir,” the invalid replied to Jesus, “I have no one to help me in the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me” (vs. 7). Jesus assigns no blame to the paralytic, nor does he ascribe to him any shame. Instead, after hearing the man’s justification for his lack of healing, Jesus simply directs the man to ‘get up, pick up his mat and walk.’ Healing, in this instance, followed closely on the heels of an honest, accurate assessment of the paralytic’s real state of being. The interaction between the two men leaves us wondering about the paralytic’s actual versus stated desires.

 First, “What are the traits of a healthy – and growing – church community?” Secondly, “Does our parish community want to be healthy and do we really desire to grow?”

It’s been said, “Healthy bodies grow naturally.” Think of a young child, free of serious disease and appropriately active for his or her age. Through a dynamic combination of physical activity, healthy emotional connectivity and balanced nutrition, a young child’s mind and body will grow naturally – unaided and by design. The child’s mind will sharpen and mature over time as his or her physique is stretched and strengthened simply by running around and playing.

The same can be said of other organisms, including human organizations–and parish churches are no exception. A healthy organization, including a healthy church community, will grow naturally and produce fruit in the same way a properly nourished orange tree will grow and, in good time, produce its fruit as it is designed to do.

This reality begs two questions for any organization and its leadership. First, in our case as a community of gathered followers of Jesus Christ, “What are the traits of a healthy – and growing – church community?” Secondly, “Does our parish community want to be healthy and do we really desire to grow?” I suspect our collective responses will be a mixed bag.

Over the next few months, I will be offering a series of reflections in this blog based on material I’ve been sharing with the vestry since I arrived at Good Shepherd in July 2010. My intention and hope for these reflections is two-fold:

1. I trust you’ll find these reflections informative and perhaps even inspiring as we move forward together towards God’s vision for the Good Shepherd community; and
2. I hope these reflections will serve as a vehicle for opening up an ongoing conversation between me, the vestry and the parish as a whole.

While I trust God will give us a clear sense of His desired direction for us over time, I believe He will speak to and through many of us as His vision becomes a reality. I look forward to walking with you in this journey.