Pop Quiz! Get out a No. 2 Pencil, your Big Chief tablet, and answer the following questions…
When people think of “church”, what descriptors come to mind? When you think of “Church”, what metaphors come to mind? What are the reasons why you attend church? Why does the church exist?
Why do you think that in every study of church attendance, more older people attend than younger, more women than men, more southerners and upper-mid-westerners than New Englanders and Westerners, more browner-skinned people than whiter-skinned people (per capita), and more evangelicals and Mormons than other denominations?
What role does church play in your life? What role do you play in the church’s life?
I have never known an extended period of time in my life that I did not attend church regularly. And by regularly, I mean every week. Even in college, when nobody was making me, I rarely missed church. This is not to suggest, however, that there have not been times when I wanted to take a season off. Sometimes church can get so routine that it loses the drawing power it once commanded. Sometimes we don’t really want to connect much with God, so we don’t want to go to church, since church is designed to facilitate that meeting. Sometimes we miss so much church that we feel weird going back. Sometimes people from church hurt our feelings, so we naturally avoid that space. Sometimes we hurt others’ feelings, and avoid church, too. Sometimes we feel like nobody knows we’re there, so we stop going. Sometimes we miss several services for good reasons, and nobody misses us, and that hurts, so we stop going. Sometimes we just don’t give a rip about our faith, and everything else becomes a higher priority.
So what’s the draw, anyway? Why bother with church, especially since you can enjoy the podcast of hundreds of great Christian speakers and hear great worship music on Pandora all in the comfort of your own home, with messy hair, in your underwear, drinking coffee and eating lightly buttered pop tarts? Just try it. Then let me know if it’s worth trying…
Some make the trip because church is their social club. Some because it’s a very personalized classroom. Others because it’s cheap entertainment. Others because they know they will find some form of healing within the walls of a church.
Bruce Reyes-Chow offers the metaphor of “family” for church. Imperfect for sure, but a place where love for each other abounds. Pretty good descriptor, I think, since every family has a very interesting cast of characters that create a messy, diverse community.
All of the metaphors have merit, don’t they? What do you see as the merits of each metaphor? Drawbacks?
None of them are especially compelling for me. Not that they completely lack attractive qualities – they do – but are they what Jesus was talking about? Are the above descriptors along the same vein as that which captivated Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph’s allegiance? Are they related to what moved Moses, Aaron, Caleb and Joshua to risk everything to embrace it? Are the pictures of Church similar to what kept the Judges Deborah, Samson, Gideon; Kings David, Solomon, Hezekiah and Josiah; and Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Elijah and Elisha enthralled? Are the images of Church above what led Peter, Paul, John, James, and the rest to give their lives to it’s cause?
The Church was and still is the next iteration of what God began with Abraham. A different path for humanity to follow that is fundamentally for everyone, everywhere, that produces the best life can offer because it is rooted in relationship with God expressed in personal devotion, community support, and servanthood. It’s different because it isn’t about ourselves – it’s about God and others. It’s an alternative to the loud voices of culture which promise to deliver life at its best but never can.
When Jesus and his disciples spoke of Good News and salvation, he was reframing popular terms used by the Roman Empire to promote itself wherever it held power. Commit to Rome and you will enjoy greater peace and prosperity – the salvation of your very life. Their military might and efficient roadways made this a reality in many ways. But fell short, because it was ultimately for the glory and service of Caesar, not God, and therefore could never address the deepest cries of our hearts.
Jesus invited people to follow him on the Way that leads to life. It was profoundly different than the way of Abraham’s Iraqi option, Daniel’s Babylonian option, Jesus’ Roman option, and our Western Capitalism option. Different because it requires personal sacrifice – not for self, but for God and others – as the means to the life offered. We can easily embrace a way that calls us to sacrifice for ourselves, but others? With no apparent personal gain on the horizon? Yet this is precisely what Jesus called for, and what he did with his own life.
We see this God-created human potential shine in times of crisis. Moore, Oklahoma has given us new stories of heroism starring elementary school teachers and medical staff who used their bodies to shield those they knew they needed to protect. When we celebrate Memorial Day, we pause to remember the ultimate sacrifice given by thousands in order to protect peace in the world. These sacrifices inspire. They are beautiful. They transform us. The Church Jesus calls his Bride, his Body, is called to make that a way of life, realizing that we really do hold the keys to life and death. We really do. Following Jesus leads to life for us, and life for those we sacrifice for. Life for us because we find ourselves drinking from the same source of life as did Jesus. Life for others because we bring them with us. All acts of loving service.
Some, however, may be reluctant to invest in the church for many reasons. Maybe you’ve been disgusted by the judgmental and narrow minded expression that sometimes rears its ugly head. Maybe you’ve been burned by people in the church – disappointed by your family members. Well, guess what? No matter if you commit to the Way or not, you are going to face frustration by narrow minded, judgmental people. If you choose the Way or not, you are going to be disappointed by people. We’re all human, remember?
The difference is that our hope is in Someone much greater than ourselves and those who hurt us. And, the pain we endure as we sacrifice for the Way is not in vain. If we allow it, it actually is transformed into something that makes us deeper and stronger. This is a great paradox of Jesus’ Way – the positive stuff takes us higher (of course), but so does the hard stuff. Our deepest needs are met as we seek to serve the deepest needs of others.
Serving others is really rooted in loving others. So, I wonder how many people we can lovingly serve into the arms of God over the next year. How many people can we lovingly pray for? How many can we touch by joining in a cause they are passionate about, like The Relay, or Relay for Life, or some other worthy cause? How many can we lovingly ask about their lives to see if we can support them somehow? How can we lovingly invite them to something that may really help them find resources they need to live in the Way? How many of us will learn serious caregiving skills through the Stephen Ministry launching soon at CrossWalk? How many will lovingly serve babies in the nursery so their parents can catch a worship service kid free? How many will lovingly teach kids who have little knowledge of the Way of Christ? How many will lovingly show up to lead youth who often wonder if they are loved? How many people will we love by providing food they don’t yet have? How many orphans will we feed because we lovingly give? How many abused women and children will we love here in Napa and in Tijuana with our support? How many people will we love by inviting them to join us at CrossWalk where they will be surprised by how welcomed they feel, how good the music, and how hopeful the message?
You and I have the opportunity to really make serious change in the world we live in with the Good News of God’s love and grace. What will stand in our way? What will be more important in our schedules? What will we be glad we invested in when our lives come to a close?
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