| May 17, 2009
You are welcome to reflect on this message
People love to classify, systematize, categorize. The word “paradigm” is in. But it’s not accurate to describe the Christians in Acts as communists. Although a form of “communal sharing” took place early-on, where they “sold their possessions and laid them at the feet of the Apostles.” But that “system” lasted only awhile, till “Ananias and Sapphira” cheated and took advantage of it. After that, the Church began to organize. Jesus is hard to classify in financial terms. Because he went around giving everything he had away; including himself. But he wasn’t a capitalist. Check out what he said about how hard it is to get to heaven if you’re rich! His church though is quite rich. It can no longer say what Peter and John said to the lame man begging for alms at the beautiful gate: “Silver and gold have we none.” “Silver and gold have we plenty.” Like a business. The more the church looks like the government, the less it feels like Jesus.
Today’s post-modern Christianity features many mega-churches, modeled on corporate structures, with more members than most small towns; numbering into the thousands, peddling a “prosperity-gospel” and bringing in tax-free millions. One Houston congregation spends $55 million alone each year on television fees, with 16,000 filling a former sports arena every Sunday. Others have Sunday School programs that rival Disney World. It’s just the old “carrot-and-stick” method in new clothing. A consumer-driven church is effective because it aims to please people first, by determining what prospects are looking for and providing it for them. Surveys revealed the traditional church isn’t “reaching” those attractive young prospects because it’s “un-cool,” boring and full of hypocrites. So contemporary microphone-suckers are “in,” pulpits and organs are “out.” Self-help homilies have replaced biblical preaching. And it’s “working.” If ... you think that’s what a church is supposed to be.
As any pastor knows who’s been at it awhile: there’s church business and gospel business. Sometimes the twain never meet. Administering the church’s business is a necessary element of our calling. But it will wear you out just by doing it. I see no way to get around it, unless you find the guts to take care of yourself, or there’s enough “gospel business” that gets done to make-up for it. The amazing financial and numerical fortunes of today’s super-churches might make folks in churches like ours envious or feel like a failure. It could ... except for Jesus, who needed only a handful of smelly fishermen to change the world. He said “two or three gathered in his name” is enough. “Narrow is the gate that leads to life eternal and few there be that find it.” How do we square that with today’s post-Christian modernism?
When the church gets accused of being a business it’s not a compliment. But it happens because the church acts like one. Purpose-driven, market-oriented, consumer-pleasing, how is that any different from Wal-mart? If Jesus had been as successful as McDonald’s, there wouldn’t be a church. Not that success is bad, or organization either for that matter. Anybody can see that the work of the church benefits from sound business practices. So wherein lies the rub?
The modern way of doing church has become “strictly business.” Based on a corporation paradigm, with a CEO, and board of directors. It is success-oriented, and numbers matter. If you think a church isn’t a business, you haven’t seen how hard it is to give out a pink slip! That’ll get you run off in a New York minute. The early church settled on an agrarian model, patterned after a flock of sheep, that needed a pastoral shepherd, not a pope. It was servant oriented, and ministry matters.
There’ve been times in history when the Church was dominant. Not that it was good. There's the melding of Church and State in medieval Europe, and the Vatican has its own principality. And in this country the Church used to hold a position of prominence. But that gave way to the rise of secularism. It’s not the church’s role to be a power broker in the land, but to make sure the land has a conscience, to mediate mercy, and tell the truth about life. Any power the church has is indirect. So churches should “mind their own business.” And quit trying to be something they’re not. Deep suffering will make theologians out of all of us. But the church’s heartbeat seems more practical than theological. Every church I’ve been apart of has a # 1 goal to attract new people and have a favorable image in town. Churches are more cultural than Christian in that regard. We just wanta be respected, accepted, popular, relevant. But these are results, not the starting point. That has been the faithful preaching of the gospel, telling the story of God, “in season, out of season,” and offering the best we have and are to God in worship -- the one thing a church can do that a business or a social agency cannot. But if the church’s business is pleasing God, not pleasing people, that’s what it does. Whether it “works” or not.
As long as people keep coming back to this old Meeting House week after week, I’ll be here to meet them. But realize that our #1 goal is not to be bigger, but to be a part of something bigger than ourselves; where God is encountered, lives are changed, prayers are prayed, the wine of the gospel is sipped and the Kingdom of heaven is advanced. Only to be met by an organized institution? With budgets, and payrolls, and electric bills, and cantankerous people. Can’t we just get beyond all this...business? Well, what if our business is love?
Dr. Luke narrates the events of the early church, immediately following the heady days of Easter. He describes as best he can, two mysterious events: the ascension and Pentecost. Jesus went up and the Spirit came down. But before Jesus left, he made provision for his tiny church, to mediate his way to future generations. Luke’s take on it in Acts might surprise you. After describing how Judas led the soldiers to arrest Jesus, he turns to the Psalmist, “His office, let another take.” Office? Hmmm. Sounds like a “business word” to me. To fill a vacancy for a place of leadership in the early church, a space that Judas formerly occupied, they prayed about it. Then they “cast lots,” in the Las Vegas tradition. Or if you prefer the Baptist way, they “took a vote.” Either way, Matthias becomes the next leader in the church. Why bother with this administrative story when the shadow of the resurrection/ascension of Christ is still fresh? Apparently there’s something about the nature of the church that Luke doesn’t want us to miss.
Easter was still fresh. The ascension only a few hours ago. The miracle of Pentecost was on the way. So the church conducts a business meeting! It acted like the government and held an election. A new leader takes office. And the church goes on with it’s peculiar church business – to be better – shall we say – organized? The idea of an “organized religion” is redundant because all churches are organized in some fashion. Even the dis-organized ones. The numerically successful churches hire professional business administrators to organize for growth. But there wouldn’t be a church if somebody hadn’t institutionalized it. If there were, it would just be floating around like a jelly fish. The early Christians believed church was too important for that. Jesus didn’t go to the trouble of “emptying himself” among us, to just be an abstract idea or a warm, mushy feeling. He came in human flesh, and he called men and women to take up their crosses and follow him. Try marketing that, and see how big your church grows! Of course, the church sets our mind on the eternal, heavenly things. The church is at its best when it does things a business can’t do.
When somebody dies, the family calls a funeral director. After the arrangements are made, people of faith turn to the church. A funeral home has everything you need on dying-day but a preacher. I’ve even had funeral directors call me about a “generic Baptist” funeral. Whatever that is. I guess the deceased was a member of the “First Generic Church.” The best a mortuary can do is embalm you. But the church has Easter!
The election of Matthias, all that down-to-earth, messy institutional stuff was a thoroughly Easter act. Because it gave bodily form to the resurrection, preserved in the life of the church. So the Spirit of God can be offered to future generations and made real in the lives of people with names like Peter, Matthias, Ken, Donna, Sam and Pam, Mickey and Peggy.
The church’s founders had the common sense to recognize you need a “skins to hold the wine.” Else the wine will be spilled and do nobody any good. If the bucket grows brittle, new ones must be found. But always, it’s the wine that counts, not the container. To affirm the ministry of the Church is not to deify it. The Church is not the object of our faith. That’s just another form of idolatry. But we do believe that in this congregation, somehow the work of God gets done.
Garrison Keillor told a story about his teenage years. One day he spotted a beautiful blonde lady heading straight toward him. He wanted to impress her, so he strolled over nonchalantly to a sparkling Cadillac. And just when she got near enough, he pulled out a dime, and dropped it in the parking meter, then leaned against the Cadillac, smiling smugly. He could hardly believe it, when she returned the smile! “Thank you,” she said, as she got into her Cadillac and drove away!
The church is not our Cadillac. We are stewards, not owners. We all have a contribution to make, and we might even lean against the church every now and then in order to look good. But ultimately, this baby is God’s! And until he comes up with something better, I’m putting my money in the church! Because God has entrusted the Body of Christ to common people who have to rely upon bodies and buildings to extend its influence.
So Jesus left us behind, but he didn’t leave us alone. He left behind a piece of himself, to strengthen, guide, and encourage ... the fleshly form of his presence: He gave us the church! Yeah the Baptists can get so frustrating you understand why the Catholics have Bishops! And a lot of folks are turned off by “organized religion,” so they can be “spiritual but not religious!” I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that narcissism of non-involvement.
There’s a purity to being “spiritual.” You get to keep yourself unspotted from the messy imperfections of doing church-work. But “solo spirituality” is little more than self-righteous sanctimony. You can be spiritual and never utter a prayer for anybody except yourself. Or touch another human in need. Or drop a dollar in the offering plate. But spirituality tied to caring action in a local church, is a beautiful thing, ordained of God. There’s a word for it: It’s called “religious.”
Providence Prayers: (5/17/09)
Grant us patience with the imperfections of our institutions; to see them as they are, with a heart to envision them as they can be, so that our church will be the church you mean for us to be...even if we’re not what we used to be. Bless our efforts to be a vibrant congregation in this enlightened setting, surrounded by higher education. For minds that think, hearts that feel, and hands that do, we thank Thee. For large purposes that call us, causes that unite us, and grace that restores us; for new people in our midst and the prospect of contributing to each other’s growth, we thank Thee.
Our city pulsates with noise that never seems to stop. Except on these “Sunday morning sidewalks.” Rekindle in our hearts a strong commitment to making our church in this city with bright lights and broken hearts mean something to somebody. Rich in buildings, but poor in soul, push us beyond our self-imposed boundaries, show us what an opportunity we have to be a part of this fellowship, sent forth in hope, as a physical sign of your love for the world. Help us to be the Body of Christ to the best of our abilities and may our structures always minister in Jesus’ name. Amen. Back |
