by Rob Caudillo
At this year's Whitworth Institute Ministry, Lynell and I had the pleasure of learning and being spiritually fed by the Rev. Eugene Peterson, Rev. Roberta Hestenes and Rev Earl Palmer. Each was marvelous and very inspiring in their presentations. On Tuesday evening Pastor Earl (Head of staff at University Presbyterian Church in Seattle) preached from Matthew 21:28-32 (that other parable by Jesus about two sons.) He shared the idea and concept of lag time. As a golfer, I know about the "lag putt". And for those of you who have done any international traveling, you are familiar with jet lag. In both cases, it speaks of making adjustments to - one's body to significant time change or one's mental approach to a golf shot - a very long putt.
In what Pastor Earl calls a "freedom parable" - a parable of Jesus which speaks of believing the Gospel message, we hear the story of two sons. The father goes to his first son and asks him to go and work in the vineyard. The son's reply to his father's request is "I will not," but later he changed his mind and went. The second son is asked the same thing by his father. The second son's reply is "I will, sir," but he did not go. With the first son, we find and see this "lag time." Pastor Earl believes that Jesus sees there is a lag time between
Lag Time is to our advantage |
hearing and doing. And Jesus is preserving the lag time and is not threatened by it. Pastor Earl goes on to say, "there is a lag time between our moral need in light of God's truth - this discovery of our sinfulness, and the moment to repent". And what is significant for each of us is the reality of this "lag time" as it relates to our knowing and experiencing the grace of God's love. That is, knowing the grace as truth and knowing/experiencing the love of God as personal and intimate for each one of us.
The first son said no, but later changed his mind and went. The second son said yes and did not go at all. Each sounds familiar and I would have to say has been true in my relationship with God. I am thankful for God's grace in the "lag time" Jesus points to in this parable. More often than not, my reply to God's request has been, "no or I don't think so, God." But then I change my mind or my heart changes, and I go and do or be that which God has asked of me. Maybe that has been a part of your experience also. Pastor Earl says, " lag time works to the advantage of the Gospel." In other words, the demands of the Gospel and the high stakes it places before a person makes this lag time beneficial and gracious. There's the time to hear - the Gospel message and what it is asking of a person, and then time to do - respond. "Lag time" - it is something to think about in our relationship and ongoing walk with God.
Peace,
Pastor Rob