The worst time in being stuck in a rut is when one does not realize one is. It is that time when we keep doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. The real danger is that the rut easily can start to feel like “home”. When this happens, the fact that we will never get to where we wanted to be tends to get lost … which really means who/where God wants us to be gets lost.
One of the greatest blessings I saw in the pandemic was that it forced the church out of its rut. Many congregations were stuck in a rut that was leading to a slow (and almost unnoticeable) death. The “old notes” I recently read reminded me of the “4-C’s” our congregation emphasized at that time. “We are called to be caring (focusing upon the mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical wellbeing of others) … cautious (by thinking before acting or reacting, and listening to our primary care physician more than our neighbors or the internet) … courageous (as we trust in our God to trust and provide) … and creative (in discovering new ways of sharing Christ’s priceless treasures).”
One danger I see today is that we seem to be falling into our same old, pre-pandemic, rut! In many ways we are walking away from our learnings as Jesus describes in Matthew 12.43-45. In other words, the “4-C’s” are just as important now as ever!
And what do I mean by the “same old rut”? Caring only about “me and my own … people, agenda, prosperity, congregation …” Cautious to the point of inactivity that stalls any movement forward. Courage that expresses itself in social media outrage. Creativity that is totally swallowed up in the first “3-C’s”.
Of course, it is always easier to describe a problem than prescribe an antidote. In other words, it is not so easy to discover a solution. And, of course, a discovered solution is only as good as its application.
A recent conversation about Joshua, Israel and the Gibeonites reminded me of a key link between getting into a rut and getting out of it. The Gibeonites were afraid of being destroyed, so they came to Joshua and Israel’s leaders with a deception, pretending to be from a distant land and asking for a covenant of peace. We are told (Joshua and Israel’s leaders) “took some of their provisions but did not ask counsel from the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.” (Joshua 9.14-15) Israel, instead of “asking counsel from the Lord” simply did what they thought was the right thing to do … and fell into the rut of being deceived.
I am excited that Pastor Dietrick Gladden and the leaders of the congregation I call home (Saint Thomas Lutheran, Eastpointe) have decided to start 2026 with a congregation-wide “21 Days of Prayer.” In it we will be “asking counsel from the Lord” for the year ahead. I expect the net result will be the people of God in Christ Jesus known as STL will become more caring, cautious, courageous, and creative in their ministry efforts that follow.
To this thought I will simply add two short notes: First, what is good for the congregation is good for the individual members of it. During these upcoming 21 Days of Prayer I will not only be praying for the ministry of my congregation. I will also be “asking counsel from the Lord” as to how in 2026 I can be more caring, cautious, courageous, and creative … and praying for the Holy Spirit to give me the will and the strength to follow his counsel.
The second “new thought” on these “old notes” is that failures and mistakes will always be found mingled into the messy activity of getting out of a rut (especially when we focus upon being creative). However, as a famous Christian author (so famous that I cannot remember his name!) stated many years ago, “our failures are not fatal.” Yes, as is proclaimed in the Songs Ascents, “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.” (Psalm 130.3-4)
Old Notes with New Thoughts
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