Orientation

On Monday I attended an all-day "Orientation" session at the hospital.

It's a mandatory first-day overview course designed to, well, orient the new employees. [I will be working PRN (on an as-needed basis) as an overnight Chaplain a few weekends per month.] I have to admit that even a day filled with a death-by-powerpoint teaching style, it was helpful. The CEO came in and spoke about what matters - to him, to the hospital, to the community at large. The chief "service" VP emphasized quality. The Human Resources VP expressed how "employees are our best asset."

The more time we spent in the below-freezing air-conditioned theatre, the more we dredged through the practical muck and mire. How and where to park. How to wash our hands. How to stay alert to safety. It was all very predictable, and although I will remember very little, I do feel oriented. This Orientation day is a way to mark the entrance to a new work-a-life - it's a bit like a hazing, too. Here's what everyone knows no matter when they started here. It's an equalizer.

I wondered about getting a God's Love Orientation [day]. Something like a mandatory first-day overview of all creation. Maybe Jesus comes on stage and talks about what is important, to him, to the Kingdom of God, to our hearts. Maybe Peter or Paul come and talk about the importance of Unity. Then perhaps Luke shares about caring for each other, particularly the poor and marginalized. Matthew emphasizes our continuity with our traditional values.

Then, I remembered my baptism.

• Do you believe in God the Father?...
• Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?...
• Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
• Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers? I will, with God’s help.
• Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? I will, with God’s help.
• Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ? I will, with God’s help.
• Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? I will, with God’s help.
• Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? I will, with God’s help.

Now *that's* an Orientation day. Thanks be to God!

How are you "oriented" in this moment?

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13