baby steps

isaiah 42 describes the servant of the lord, in whom the nations put their hope. this servant does not shout, does not climb on a soapbox, does not coerce or manipulate to make change. the servant will not break the smallest reed--and by extension, will not hurt people in the transformation process. "in faithfulness, he will bring forth justice."

in such servants of the Lord, we can put our hope. and today, i witnessed such servants of the Lord.

i got to sit in on the communications and meetings committee of the presbytery of san francisco. to all you non-presbygeeks out there, this is a lot more interesting than it sounds. this group frames the entire communal work of the presbytery that happens five times a year, as it decides where, when and how the meetings will take place.

anyone who has gone to a presbytery meeting (or ANY six hour meeting for that matter) knows that when hundreds of people meet, there is a high potential for boringness and irrelevance. people talk to long and assume that people are interested in things that they are not. everyone assumes their item or piece of business is most important, and occasionally people do not debate like adults.

but, presbytery has the potential to truly be church for its members and commissioners. it is renew, sustain and empower the people who attend. it should bring glory to God through the faith filled ways that people relate and make decisions. this commitee is doing what it can to move presbytery meetings away from irrelevance and toward relationality.

presbytery meetings in san francisco will start to look very different. there is not longer a paper packet sent to every commissioner. the website is a place to connect. there will be a coffee cart, and an emphasis on making needed connections during meetings--even if it happens during "business." there will be more time to talk, get to know people and engage, and less time spent listening. there will be more ways to bring your message to the presbytery in creative and engaging ways.

these are small moves in the world, when you leave the bubble of presbyterian life. but, they are moves just the same. moves i can put hope in, work for, that we might transform the world... at least a little.