Being Present

One of the challenges I found as a theatre performance major in college was the necessity of being "in the moment" when performing in a scene on stage.  This sense of immediate presence is what separates good acting from bad acting, for when performers are "in the moment," the action seems spontaeneous and unplanned to the audience instead of scripted and blocked out (which it obviously is!). 

As a performer, it is easy to become distracted by the audience's response to the play, to be thinking about what is coming next in the show, or in a long run simply to let your mind wander to other concerns, just going through the motions to complete the performance.

I found the challenge of remaining "in the moment" not only a struggle on stage but even in preparation for a show.  With other classes and extracurricular responsibilities, it was often easy to delay scene rehearsal or preparation.  Or even when I would carve out time to rehearse, if I had not cleared off all the other things on my "to do" list first, I would find my mind wandering to those concerns instead of the task at hand.

I think this notion of "being in the moment," of being fully "present," is not only an essential element of good acting but is also an essential element of effective ministry.  We can all think of a time (whether in church or not), when someone took time to really listen to us, to make us feel like we were his or her only concern in the world.  Often we are aware that the person who took that time was busy and could have tried to move us on out the door, but it was the sense of presence, that patient listening, that meant something to us.  It made us feel important; it gave us value.  There was something sacred in the encounter.

I think it isn't mere politeness that requires us to extend this ministry of presence; I think it is theological.  In the incarnation (the fancy word for God becoming human in Jesus) we see God's commitment to being present with us.  We see it in Jesus' willingness to stop his plans to help those who called on him.  We see it in his conversations with outsiders whom others chose to ignore.  The Gospel According to Luke tells us that even on the cross, in extreme agony, Jesus took the time to listen to the thief who wished to repent of his sins.

Admittedly, I struggle to be fully present in ministry with others as I struggled to be "in the moment" in a theatre scene.  Plans and responsibilities often cloud my ability to be present with others, and it is an area in which I hope to grow.  I think the problem of distraction is exacerbated by my smart phone, where at any lull in life I can check e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter, or catch up on the news or send one more text message.  It gets to the point where I wonder if we are losing our ability to really engage each other or if our attention spans operate in only five minute increments.

Growing in presence begins, I believe, in prayer, in a centering on God's word that focuses the mind and heart on God and not on the chores and duties of the day.  It involves trust, that God's will is going to be done whether or not I have it scheduled into my calendar or not!  It involves accountability, holding each other to be true community, which means being together in openness and honesty.  It may even involve turning off the gadget for a while to be in an embodied relationship with another person.

I would encourage you, then, to take a moment today, and center yourself on God, be present with the Lord.  Then find some time with someone you care about to give yourself over to being fully present with him or her.  We may just see Jesus in the middle of it all!