While working with a church through its transition between pastors, we've spent some time looking at the church's purpose or sense of vision.
That's because vision is foundational to what everyday living and organizational efficiency is all about. And from the perspective of one who pastor's a church, there is nothing more important than a clear sense of purpose.
After all, it is vision clarity that should drive every endeavour in the church.
Despite many false-starts and failures, it is self-evident that a key factor in Christianity's strength and influence around the world is clarity of purpose.
Vision, which is really an extension of substantive faith, is inspiringly embodied in the lives of many throughout the Bible.
To name a few, one has only to think of such greats as Abraham, Moses, Ruth, David, and Queen Esther.
But in reading the New Testament Gospels, clearly the greatest visionary of all time was Jesus of Nazareth.
Here are a few examples of Jesus' sense of purpose: I must work the works of Him that sent me while it is day, for the night is coming when no man can work (John 9:4).
The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work (John 4:34).
A quick reading of the Gospels shows that Jesus indeed was a very busy person. Most of the time, he was healing the sick and teaching the gospel of the kingdom. But besides that, another important purpose for him was preparing twelve of his disciples to take up his work after he was gone (Mark 3:14).
With all this in mind we might easily conclude, ironically, that Jesus didn't have a life. We might think that his was an intense and driven kind of personality, never having time to stop and smell the roses, or just to laugh.
It's true that due to his sense of mission Jesus seemed to work tirelessly. But it would be wrong to think he was driven. Though strongly visionary, he did what he did with a wonderful sense of ease - mostly because, I think, of his close communication with his Father in heaven (i.e. John 14:31b).
We may not see any instance of Jesus laughing in the Gospels. But what we do see is irony and wit. He used humour to make fun of the religiously self-righteous of his day. He said they were the kind who strained out a gnat but swallowed a camel (Matthew 23:24) or, who looked for a speck in their neighbour's eye while having a log in their own (Matthew 7:3-5).
Though dealing with heavy issues in life, Jesus said that his yoke was easy, and his burden was light (Matthew 11:30). In these heavy social and political times, it's good to remember that the greatest social activist of all time was beautifully light-hearted.
