| September 28, 2008
You are welcome to reflect on this message
Lots of things come into play that make it difficult for churches to thrive. Besides the normal things like parking, surroundings, location, our own historical church faces something unique: the tension that comes from being perceived as a museum, rather than a church. The recent media attention over the yellow primer on the outside of The Meeting House was inevitable. But it also exposed how residents in downtown Providence revere this structure as a repository. But as an active American Baptist congregation, they could care less.
All churches, endure periods of progress and decline. As old as this one is, no doubt historians could cite plenty of both. But the one thing about the larger family of faith that’s always impressed me is its resilience. Boom times and lean times. Somehow we survive ‘em all! With so many things working against our place: secularism, elitism, materialism, apathy ... we’re swimming upstream much of the time. And I often wonder what keeps the church going? Every now and then some throw up their hands and declare, "I've had it! We’re outa here." Others though, have more stamina, to stay with the church through thick and thin. Any shepherd trying to build-up a church and not just be a hired hand, has to appreciate those who tough-it-out. Their tenacity must be factored-in to what keeps the church alive.
Whatever “it” is, it’s not unique to us and it’s been around a mighty long time. As old as the Book of Job (which may be the oldest book of the Bible). The RSV translates the words of one of Job’s friends in this way: "But you are doing away with the fear of God" (Vs. 4). I prefer another interpretation is: "See you are destroying religion!" Because Job colored outside his contemporary creed, there was a real concern that he was about to pull the carpet out from under a revered religious perception of reality. So the charge, "You’re about to destroy our faith." Our way of life. Now religious people get very protective of their religious world view. And their impulse to persuade others is never stronger than when they have to first convince themselves. So! Job’s about to destroy religion! And the archaic dogma that he questioned has been long gone. But religion is not.
I've heard similar expressions in every church I've belonged to. Anytime you step on a Baptist land-mine, it can be anything from the temperature of the baptistry, to by-laws, and the color of paint. "If you do such a thing, you'll destroy this church." But somehow, the church survives ‘em all. In Alabama it happened when I welcomed the gays. In Arizona I got into hot water for defending my associate pastor, for being born female. In Oregon, it was the old “staff problem.” I had to let a guy go, because the 2 interims before me wouldn’t. In DC we fought over war and peace. I’ve seen Baptist blood-lettings over flags, hymnals, soup kitchens, baptism, budgets. You name it, Baptists have and will fight over it. That’s what makes us Baptists. You don’t even have to name it! But when they do, some of ‘em are gonna warn of an impending church split. So Baptists multiply by dividing. But somehow the church “survives ‘em all.”
And you can indeed destroy a local church, but nobody can destroy the Church universal. Job's friends were mistaken. And my experience as member for 57 years and pastor for 40: they’re always changing and they’re always here. Even in the Pacific Northwest where church attendance is the lowest in the nation, there are churches. Though not like in the South, on every street corner. But there’s no place in this country where there are no churches, because God’s church is not only resilient, it is God’s. And it’s very persistent. Although it doesn’t seem like it, it is inevitably changing, every newcomer that joins will see to that. And anytime you blend persistence with change, it’s a significant part of human existence.
Some changes are welcome, if they’re for the better. And other things have staying power. Mary couldn’t hold onto Jesus and we can’t hold onto our kids. Because anything worth holding onto is bound to change. There are things we can destroy. The economy. Cars rust. Houses deteriorate. Clothes need to be patched. Today’s news comes and goes. But other things can never be done away with. And one of them is music. It’s been around for a long time. It’s evolved from Bach to the Beatles. Willie and Dolly and 3 Dog Night. Most songs are forgotten till you sing them again. But music is always with us. So is marriage. People have been getting in and out of marriages for a long time. You can destroy a family, but you can't destroy marriage. The same holds for the church. Even if ours becomes a museum, there are other churches.
Throughout history, the Church has blushed for having to update archaic ideas in light of newer evidence. The Ptolemaic, geo-centric world view was trumped by Galileo's advocacy of a helio-centric universe. The church held out for centuries, but finally came around to reality: there is no "up or down," just "out." It’s a great day when the church backs away from sticking its head in the sand like an ostrich. Church is like language. And yeah we all have our accents! And languages have ceased. But language continues.
What’s true historically is also true personally. Who of us has not known the same experience of Eliphaz? Or had some pet idea smashed to pieces? We haven’t lived very long if we haven’t seen some cherished religious concept disintegrate until we too cried out: "Job, you are destroying religion!"? I can sympathize with Job's buddies. When I enrolled in college, in one year of honest inquiry, evidence forced me to give up biblical inerrancy, premillenialism, racism, sexism, and fundamentalism. That’s a lot of isms. But thank God I changed. Isn’t that what getting an education is? What's wrong in the world today, is too many get out without changing. But I said it a lot in those days: "Prof, you’re gonna destroy religion!" Familiar words that get verbalized when things don’t go our way. So what’s the “it” that keeps God’s church alive?
For one thing ... you. All y’all, help keep this church alive. This church wouldn't be here without people who care for it. The Historical Commission can maintain the building. But a congregation takes people. Jesus appealed to people, mostly Galilean fishermen, not the temple elitists. Likewise, the commitment you give to this church, your participation in its ministries, your support, your time, your interest, sacrificial commitment -- that’s what keeps this church alive. Any church is proportionally alive as its membership. This church is still here today because of a lot of commitment before us. But it's also alive because of what we’re doing now. And the degree to which it stays alive, depends upon the commitment you render in the future. The “it” behind church vitality depends upon whether church members buy into Jesus’ vision of church, found in Luke 4:16-20. Keep that dream alive and you’ve got a church molded by what he had in mind.
Too many things have happened in your lives that can’t be explained apart from God. Those kinds of things are not cheaply disposed of. Your belief in this church and what it stands for keeps it from being a museum. But something beyond us keeps the church alive, namely, God wants this church here. Something greater than our history and our involvement is among us, or this church would be just another relic. The story of Jesus’ passion is one example. It’s Good Friday and the sky blacks-out at noon. And just when it appears that the forces of good are about to be done in, then comes the 3rd day! The defeats of goodness are stronger than the victories of evil.
What destroys a church is the same thing that destroys anything noble. A garden can be destroyed actively or passively. You can drown it with water, or burn it with fertilizer, or pull it up by hand. But why bother? Just leave it alone and let the weeds and bugs do it for you. To destroy somebody's garden, just ignore it. That’s what diminishes a church. Someone can vandalize this building, steal the office equipment or smudge the walls with obscenities. You could disrupt our worship services with important footraces and go-go music, or complain when you don’t get your way. But why bother? Apathy is much more effective. Just live as if the church doesn't exist. Sleep in on Sunday morning. Call the preacher only when you want to get married or buried. Don't put a dime in the offering plate. To put this church in a state of decline, don't do anything and it’ll die of dry-rot. It doesn’t take much to kill some things, just neglect. To destroy a home, a marriage, our government, your health, your church, disregard them. That would turn our church into a museum quicker than anything. I hope it won't. I'll do everything I can to prevent it. And I expect you to do the same. For that's how the church began and that's how it’ll continue.
I was captivated by the final baseball game played at Yankee Stadium. It was moving to reflect on the unique history of the cathedral of baseball, the former stars, since 1923 the residence of many significant sporting events. And it was a little sad. Then I thought what if The Meeting House was shutting down. We all hope it never comes to that. But yeah, this church, with a history three times older than Yankee Stadium could go by the wayside. Aging takes its toll. But if it did, God would still be in business. It’s happened before. John the Baptist said to the people of God who thought their way of doing faith was invincible, "Don’t presume to say to yourselves, `Abraham is our ancestor,' for I God is able from these stones to raise children of Abraham" (Mt. 3:9).
We can destroy a local church by our lack of interest, but not the ongoing work of God. God is much bigger than what we do to him, as the Crucified One testifies. He can “resurrect rocks” anytime, anywhere. But this church will continue, as long as God wants it to be here. As it was in Job's day -- all our theologies change. Or should. If we’re growing. Our methods come and go. But our Christian faith continues to rise up within the spirit of men and women and say with Job, "As the Lord God lives...!" That faith is what kept Job going. And that resilience and persistence and Spirit is what keeps the Church alive. And against that, even “the gates of hell” cannot prevail.
Prayer: We praise you Lord, for your persistence to make the church work, in spite of our many efforts to sabotage it. I'm glad you’re more graceful than judgmental, because we require many second chances. And we’re glad that you don't quit on us when the going gets rough, that you stand by us through thick or thin. May we at least learn to be a little like that, so we may grow more like Jesus Christ our Lord, in whose name we have gathered. Amen. Back |
