Got Church?
Mark Tidsworth, Pinnacle Team Leader
There are times when we don’t much care. When we are drifting along, not really embodying our faith; then our interest in church dips pretty low. When we aren’t caught up in living the good news of the gospel, we aren’t so interested in being part of a community gathered around Jesus. When we believe being a Christian is being a fairly decent person who avoids major ethical lapses while treating others nicely, then many of us don’t need church to help us do that.
But then there are times in our lives when our desire for a robust, invigorated, faith community gathered around Jesus Christ escalates. These are those times when we desperately long for church, for that interconnected web of faith-laced relationships which give us heart and courage for living. That’s when we are so grateful we are church with others…or our need to be church with others grabs our attention. Allow me to describe a few of those times when we find ourselves asking, “Got church?”
When we are actually trying to live as disciples of Jesus Christ.
No, I don’t mean practicing cultural Christianity wherein the goal is to be a nice, decent person. Though we want to be nice and decent people, disciples of Jesus are called to so much more. Have you read the gospels lately? Jesus directly asks us to love others the way God loves us. Let that sink in a moment. Jesus calls us to be so immersed in God that we begin reflecting the spirit, attitude, and actions of God. What’s this look like; what’s God like? Read the gospels again, learning from Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.
When everything and everyone around us subtly (or even directly) encourages us to abandon our efforts toward living in the Way of Jesus. Have you listened to the message below the noise lately? Forgiveness is outdated. Loving enemies is laughable. Turning the other cheek is silliness. No, our current culture encourages us to hit back harder than we are hit, be more aggressive than others so we are not exploited, secure your money and build our accounts, avoid loser kinds of people since they might rub off on us, and distrust most everyone. Surely our culture doesn’t mind us participating in church, as long as it doesn’t interfere with real life. Living is the Way of Jesus appears more counter-cultural than ever before in my lifetime. To live as disciples in THIS context, we NEED church. We need sacred partners and fellow pilgrims to live the better story of our faith in our current world. Don’t even try to go it alone.
When we want to partner with God toward transforming our communities. Applying ourselves to the task of brining justice and mercy to this broken-down world…we are going to need living faith to sustain us in that endeavor. Sure we can grow motivated about setting things right for short bursts of time. But, staying with it after the shine wears off…that requires spiritual stamina. It appears as if God is determined to bring God’s intentions for planet earth to pass, here on earth (kingdom of God). At some point, God will set everything right, as it should be. In the meantime, we are called to partner with God toward the commonwealth of God rising up and becoming reality. Clearly, we aren’t there yet. Clearly we need church to challenge us, calling us up out of our comfort, involving us in God’s world makeover. To sustain our efforts toward transforming this world, we need to be with people who are determined to be part of God’s world makeover work.
When we are in touch with our vulnerabilities; the fragility of life.
Typically this happens when we face a crisis. Health, finances, relationships, vocation….when life breaks down or falls apart, we recognize our need for community. This is when the limitations of America’s preference for individuality becomes clear. We can go it alone if we want, yet the outcomes are very painful. When we have everything we materially and financially need without any obvious crises, we are still isolated and lonely. Since so many in developed countries don’t need community for survival, losing community and relational connection happens more frequently, resulting in rampant loneliness. God has provided for this need through God’s church.
Now, as you are reading along, you may be wondering where you can find a church who can be the kind of church described. Yes, I’m working with assumptions here. Let’s bring them from below the surface to the surface.
Assumptions:
Our church has, is, and tells a better story (good news of the gospel) than the popular myths in the culture around us
Our church is focused on cultivating disciples who live in the Way of Jesus
Our church is a group of people where deep conversation and sharing about the challenges of living faithfully are welcomed and encouraged
Our church is actively partnering with God toward our community’s transformation
So rather than launch into another article about the need for church transformation, let’s simply recognize our churches are works in progress too, just like our world. This awareness adds even more dimensions to this small, seemingly innocuous, question.
Got church?