ROUTINE

            Last week I hit my post Easter slump. After all of the intense preparations for that significant time I was drained. I was out of my routine and it took me a while to get refocused. I think I’m back on-line, even though this is not a routine week either. I have been struck by how much I depend on routines. Routines are comfortable, predictable and productive. The people who know me would not describe me as spontaneous. I am, like so many people, a creature of habit. I actually function best when I am following my routine. When something happens to break my routine it throws me off. For example, I am an Associate Chaplain at our local hospital. I am normally on-call certain times during the month. This past month a switched one of my regular days with another chaplain, which meant that I was on-call this past Monday. Monday is my normal day off. I don’t check my calendar on Mondays. I try not to even check e-mail. So I was embarrassed when the head chaplain called me at 5:00 PM and asked if I was coming in the pick up the pager. I had completely forgotten that I was on-call. The rest of the night I felt out of sync. 

            Routine is not a bad thing. In fact, if it was not for routine we would be overwhelmed by life. If we had to consciously confront all of the minor decisions that we face every day we would go crazy. Instead we develop a routine that we can perform with confidence and expertise without even thinking about it. In the business would they call these routines systems. Every efficient company has its systems that allow the company to function smoothly. The systems are nothing more than organized routines that can be performed without having to “decide” what to do. When this situation arises, this is how we respond.

            I think God understands our need for routine. God set up systems to help us function in our world and to relate to Him. It can be seen in the simple but profound command to honor the Sabbath. "Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do.” Deuteronomy 5:12-14 (NIV)

            When God established the sacrificial system it was built upon consistent routines. God did not leave the act of worship up to the individual to engage in worship in whatever way they chose. Instead God set up a system of uniform expectations in worship. This created a consistent and meaningful corporate experience.

            When the church was born they continued a consistent routine of worship. They met together daily for fellowship and they met weekly for worship. This routine of meeting on a weekly basis for worship continues today.

            It is good to break away from our routine from time to time. It is like putting the car in neutral and letting it idle. These are times of rest and renewal. But if you stop to think about it even these fall into a larger system of routine. In fact because these times of rest are programmed in we can actually relax and enjoy them. God did this for His people when He prescribed specific festivals that were to be observed at set intervals. These “out of routine” events helped to refocus the lives and the worship of the people.

            This week I am in one of these “out of routine” times. It is giving me the opportunity for a few days to pull away and engage in something different. Usually when I return from these times I am able to refocus on my routine in a more positive way. Life is a balancing game, which we all play. We live most of our lives in our routine, but we need to pull away from them from time to time in order to keep our routine from becoming mindless and meaningless. God has designed us for both.