THERE'S A CONSPIRACY AFOOT

 As Sherlock Holmes might say to Dr. Watson, after investigating all that is going on in the church, “Ah, Watson, there’s a conspiracy afoot; and it’s a good one.” And there is; and it is good – both in the correct meanings of those two words, thank God. Conspiracy, as in it’s Latin base – cum spirare, to breathe together; ­good, as in virtuous. There is a good, virtuous conspiracy, a breathing together, that’s afoot in the church. Some may disagree, but I digress.

Too often when we hear the word conspiracy, we immediately think of a group of people gathering together to commit some nefarious action. In fact, that is now the basic definition of the word. How far we have come. Thus, if someone were to observe that there is indeed a conspiracy afoot in the church, most would be speaking of something that is not good. They would be asserting that there is a group planning, scheming even, to destroy the church.

Of course there will always be those who do indeed conspire to work against the work of God. Of course there will be those conspiracy theorists who insist that there is a deliberate one afoot aimed precisely at them and their beliefs. Of course there are those who conspire to denigrate the good others do. Pun intended, they are wasting their breath with such protestations.

But is not the work of a church, a parish family, that of a conspiracy? Does not the Holy Spirit breathe in and through us as we breathe and work together doing the work, the ministry, God calls us to do? But this does not happen automatically. The truth is that we have to deliberately conspire to do God’s work. We have to willingly and lovingly breathe together, work as one, or else the work we are called to do won’t get done. We must be intentional about it because it will not happen on its own. The further truth is that when people are breathing together, acting as one, conspiring to be of one mind and one heart, more often than not they are doing so for good and not for evil.

We do not need any theorist, moreover, to remind us that the greater the conspiracy, the greater the breathing together for good, the more good things will be done – and vice versa, of course. Since as church we are called to do good, to remove evil, to work together for the good of all, we have no choice but to conspire together. The mission and ministry is simply too great to be accomplished alone.

The more we conspire, the merrier – and in the original meaning of that word as well, as in delightful. For that is what it is, is it not? We have all discovered just how delightful it is to work together doing the work of God wherever and whenever we do it. It is a good conspiracy. Granted, that work will not always be easy. Sometimes it may not be the work, the ministry, we like to do even as we know it must be done. But we do it because it is indeed good and delightful.

There is conspiracy afoot. Hang on for the ride. God only knows where the breath of the Spirit will blow!