Message or Messenger?

I wonder if we have forgotten how to tell people what we seek to be as a church.  Over the years I’ve found myself defending the institution of the church, what we do, how we do it, why we do it… And lost.  Every time.  I lost even though I believe there is no more powerful organization in the world than the Holy Spirit working in God’s Church.   

People look at the world and say, “Why doesn’t God do something about it!”  God did, God did do something about it 2000 years ago.  God gave us the Church, and through God’s people working in the local church, this organization can be the most powerful force for good in the world. 

What government, university or corporation has the influence over people’s lives that the church has?  Sure governments can pass laws, companies can develop great products, universities can teach the knowledge of the ages, but neither the president, nor any corporation or university has the power to change a person’s life.  Only God has that power, only God can make a person come alive, can turn a neglecting father into a devoted one, bring a wayward son home, offer forgiveness, heal brokenness, or help people come alive for the first time in their life.   God does all this through the message of Jesus Christ in local church.   

But instead of telling that story, we talk about the architecture, or the music, or the people or pastors.  All fine but imagine trying to convince someone to join the Rec. Center for the design of the building, or the music they play, the people who work there, or the programs they broadcast?  All could be absolutely true, but still not convincing. 

Carl Medearis, in his book “Speaking of Jesus” says we have confused the messenger with the Message.  The Message is Jesus; and his messenger, the Church.  I think when people come to church and get the messenger, we hope it will lead them toward Jesus, but when they come to church and get The Message, they get Jesus, and see him in the people, the music, and maybe even the architecture. 

So I've quit defending the messenger, and am trying to stay on message, the message and stories of Jesus, then maybe then people will get the church.  Because I'm not sure it works the other way around.  

Mind the Gap

I’ve been driving by it for years, and while I’ve been driving by they expanded their building to appeal more to teenagers and seniors, two demographics I’m not.  My dad would go faithfully each week, and often several times during the week.  He went for about an hour and then would walk home.  My dad tells me about all the programs they have there, ones that sound fun and interesting, but not that interesting, besides, I’m not sure I have the time.  My daughter goes to the teen functions there at night to hang out.  But not me.  Each time he was going, dad would ask if I wanted to go, but I declined.  I didn’t think I needed to, after all I was doing just fine, and what could they offer me that I wasn’t already doing for myself? 

This morning, I was listening to an NPR report about religious practices in which it was reported that 79% of Americans identify with an organized faith group, which makes the United States a significant outlier when compared to other developed nations.  But this research is based on what people say they do. 

For example, when pollsters ask “Did do you attend church this week,” 45% of Americans will say yes, they attended their church. But researchers are beginning to understand that that 45% is in fact answering a different question, and that question is “Are you the kind of person who goes to church,” which brings me back to that place I’d been driving by for years.  It was the Rec. Center, a place where my dad worked out, and wanted me to go because it would be good to get some exercise.  A few weeks ago I actually joined, I walked the isle, confessed my sin, and wrote them out  a check. 

If you asked me did “Did you go to the Rec. Center this week?” I would have answered no until a few weeks ago, but if I understood the question as “are you the kind of person who goes to the Rec. Center,” I would have liked to say yes, even though I didn’t go to the Rec. Center.   

“Do you floss your teeth?” is different question than “Did you floss your teeth this morning?” The previous question seems to be really asking “are you the kind of person who takes care of their teeth by flossing them?”  And has some value judgment associated with it.

So there is a gap between how people see themselves, and what they practice.   No big surprise here.  I guess it is what we call our human potential, that space between what we do, and what we want to be known for doing.  As the Brits say “Mind the Gap!” If you don't you may fall into it, be it in your faith practice, exercise program, or dental hygiene.   

Taking a break to or from Worship

During last night’s discussion in the book and Bible study of Speaking of Jesus some one remarked that almost everyone in the room had taken a break from church at some point in their life and come back.  A break measured in years, and decades.  Call me odd (Suzanne does) but the kind of break I took from church, was a few month.

Later that night I got to thinking about a Catholic friend of mine, Mark Hinkl who never missed a Sunday in worship.  This came up because he was on his honeymoon, and they went to church, not only the next morning but a week later when they were still honeymooning. 

“Really?!” I asked.

“Never missed a Sunday.”

“On Vacations?”

“Always Went.”

“On travel?,” we both worked at a research lab and travel was a part of the job.

“Took time for it.”

“Sick?”

“Went on Saturday night.”

Though I’ve lost touch with Mark, I have not forgotten that conversation, and it has challenged me to made attending worship a priority.  I mean its not that difficult when you are a pastor and work in the church, but even when we’re traveling and nobody is watching.  I like to go to worship, even if I’m alone because the rest of the family wants to sleep in, I go to worship, and in those moments maybe experience something different or disconnect from this world to connect with the next.  I like to go to worship, its taking a break to worship instead of from it. 

Speaking of Jesus

This week is the introduction to a new book and Bible study at St. Philip's based on the book "Speaking of Jesus: the Art of Not-Evangelism," by Carl Medearis.   I first read this book in the spring after a friend of mine had recommended it to me, and then in an email wrote:

I found that it has really made me think about how I say things now.  And it was a really good thing when I met with an African American woman last week.  I had no idea about her beliefs and she asked me one of those loaded questions along the lines of “don’t you think you are ruining African traditional culture and beliefs by importing Christianity?”.  Fortunately, I was able to tell her (truthfully, of course, but I wouldn’t have known how to say it without having read the book) that I wasn’t really interested in importing Western church traditions.  I looked at it more as I had a best friend, Jesus, that I wanted to introduce my African friends to.  And that I thought they needed Him as much as I do.  Turns out, she is a Christian too, but she had been wrestling with this idea that somehow Christianity would destroy African culture.  Religion might – but not Jesus.

Over the summer I read it again, and then read two of Carl's other books.   Over the weeks and months between my first and second read of "Speaking of Jesus," I asked friends both at St. Philip's and other churches to tell me what they thought about Jesus.

I would ask about Jesus and they would tell me about the Church they went to.  I would ask what their (or our) church thought about Jesus, and they told me about the choir, or the praise band, or their pastor.

If someone asks me about my wife Suzanne, I don't tell them about the house we live in.  If someone asks me about that new restaurant we like so much, we don't tell them about the tablecloths.  If someone asks about that movie, or sports team, or musical artist, we don't tell them about the venue.  Why is Jesus different?

I am excited to read this book with others, and learn from them how we can really speak about Jesus.  Will you join me?

Read the first chapter [click here]
At Amazon [click here]
A Google eBook [click here] (but is missing chapters 8 & 10)