Me and Institutions When you hear the word

Me and Institutions When you hear the word “institution”, what do you think of?

Defining Institution � An institution is a system or an organization in society that takes care of particular needs.

Surrounded by institutions � Families � Schools � Churches � Businesses � Banks � Public transportation

What are they for? � Institutions show us how to live in society � They direct us on how we can best get things done � They help us to realize our talents and abilities � They help us to best serve the common good � We live our beliefs, values and practices inherited from the institutions we belong to.

Different types of institutions � The family is a natural institution � The police force, justice system, health system and educational system have developed over time to meet our needs – they are all institutions as well. � It is up to us to make institutions life-giving. If they are destructive, we must change them.

The decline in participation Social indicators show that participation in communities is declining. This is happening in all areas: *newspaper reading *running for public office *entering the seminary *attending public meetings *going to church *joining unions *giving blood *eating together as a family • No institution has been untouched �

Why is this happening? � 1. Time and money- everyone is too busy. People don’t have time to give to others or to help organizations or institutions. People are doing less together. � They are spending more time doing things by themselves.

Why is this happening? 2. Urban sprawl – More people live in suburbs, where there are fewer opportunities to join organizations, volunteer, or engage in community activities. The suburbs do not encourage socializing. The distance to downtown, to a meeting place, club or organization is just too great Downtown is replaced with a shopping mall. �

Why is this happening? � 3. Television and the Internet- we spend so much time watching TV. (young people average 24 hrs a week!) we have little time left over for social activities. Much of our leisure time is spent alone. We prefer TV. and internet entertainment over socializing.

Why is this happening? � 4. Generational change-there is a slow steady and persistent shift from the generation who made it a point to participate in community to one who is less involved. In almost all areas of community involvement, people between the ages of 18 and 29 are about 50% less likely to be active than their grandparents were.

On the other hand… A study by a sociologist in 2001 stated that a “fairly high 65% of teens say that they expect to be involved in their communities in the future. ” � Teens are “gravitating toward group activities in such areas as team learning and community service. ” � Today’s teens are going to be “community shapers and institution builders” � Who’s right? �

Institutions take care of needs � Part of the nature of institutions, like the family or the school, is that each one has a set of rules. Sometimes we think that we would be better off without so many rules, but without them, there would be anarchy. Freedom needs institutions. They provide rules and a stable framework that help us live in society. They are meant to work for the common good.

Institutions are like covenants � Institutions help us to become a free people – For the Israelites, the covenant made them into a free people. Who we are, and our life together in communities, is a gift from God. Our interaction with one another through institutions is one of the ways in which we work together with God to become free. Institutions provide a structure to help us live out our covenant with God.

Institutions are like covenants � Institutions need rules and a commitment -For the Israelites, the covenant had certain conditions attached to it – the Ten Commandments Today, institutions have conditions attached to them- the rules. Sometimes the rules are not fair, but we should change the rules, not destroy the institution. Institutions need our participation, not our indifference.

Institutions are like covenants � Institutions are powerful and require prophetic leaders- The Israelites had Moses. We need leaders who are prayerful and obedient to God. They may be our parents, politicians, caregivers, teachers, priests, etc – look for the true wisdom in people.

Institutions are like covenants � Institutions need participation and celebration- One way the Israelites remembered their covenant was to celebrate their liberation. We need to do the same with our institutions – participate and celebrate them.

When the Lord is near… Jesus did not change the � institutions of his people. He was � immersed in Jewish culture and � participated in its institutions. He valued the institutions, but made it his work to bring them back to their original purpose. � When the Lord is near and you really trust in his nearness, what would you do in your homes, what would you do in your church, in commerce, in politics? �

Jesus says… � Do not say “I would be on my best behavior because I fear God” � “Only one thing is important. Trust in God and all the rest will be given to you besides” � Instead of acting out of fear – fear of God, fear of what others may think, fear of not being popular- act out of love.

Jesus and the institutions of his culture � Jesus was very much involved in the institutions of his time – family, the synagogue, the temple, the agrarian society, etc. � The only time he became angry was when the institution of the temple was being used as a market place. � Jesus had a clear message for us in that story.

The temple and Jesus � Jesus knew that the temple had to be a place for all the nations to meet God. The temple of stone, mortar and wood was not enough – the new temple would be Jesus’ body. The place to meet God is now a human being.