In 1833, an employee at the Patent Office in Washington, D.C., wrote the following letter:
Dear Sir:
Because everything that can be invented has already been invented, it is inevitable that this office should go out of business. Inasmuch as I shall soon lose my position, I hereby resign to look for work elsewhere.
Sincerely,
Up to that point, less than 500 patents had been applied for in the United States; but by the time World War I was over, more than 60,000 patents had been issued. Today the number runs in the millions.1
Clearly, that guy lacked vision. He could of used Lasik for his brain. We read something like this and think, “Wow, what an idiot.” How could someone look into the future and believe that there is nothing for them. This guy did not even give himself a chance to wait to see what happens. He just gave up.
There has to be a better way of planning, but who can plan for every possible outcome?
You cannot. That is why we need we need a vision. Not some fortune teller vision, but a vision… a statement of vision. Clergy and churches talk about vision all the time. Often, churches think that coming up with a vision is the pastor’s job. However, that is the wrong approach. The top down way of crafting a vision leaves everyone else in the dust.
In our Old Testament lectionary text for this Sunday (Jeremiah 4), Jeremiah is crafting a vision but it is not a pretty sight. God’s people have turned away from God, 
ignored his laws, and accepted foreign influences. Jeremiah foretells of a bleak world of suffering. Despite this, Jeremiah provides an out, a vision for Israel to regain its identity. The first thing that Jeremiah did was survey the land.
Often, when we have an idea, thought, or goal in mind we want to run with it. We do not take time to sit down, think, and reflect. However, this is the first step of the visioning process. In order to lead God’s people, Jeremiah had to survey the situation: What’s going on? Where have we been? We are we now? Where are we going?
At First Baptist Church, we are about to enter into a time of visioning. We are going to spend the next few weeks in worship using Jeremiah’s story as a way to understand vision. We are not going to craft the vision, but merely learn about the process. This fall, Gary Long, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Gaithersburg will lead our fall retreat on October 23. Gary is a consultant for Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (a Baptist organization we support) and helps congregations think about where they are and where they want to be. It is helpful to bring an objective third party to help survey the landscape of vision.
Churches are not the only entity that needs a vision. Businesses, organizations, schools, government and individuals need to form a vision. A vision helps focus people through good times and bad. A vision enables people accomplish goals. A vision is like a funnel in which everything we do gets poured down into one focus point.
What is your vision? Did you survey your past, present, and future? Who did you include in your vision?
The Friday post of On The Bema is usually directly related to my sermon on Sunday. Now that you have an idea of what we will be talking about, come join us at First Baptist Church of Ballston Spa this Sunday @ 10:15 a.m.
Pentecost 16C
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