Just An Hour Is All It Takes

26 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by Seeking Peace in Christian Living

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I was driving by a church recently and their marquee continues to bother me. “Christ gave his life for you. Can’t you give him an hour on Sunday?”

Really? Just an hour? That’s all I have to do? Show up at church for an hour and I’ve repaid what Christ did for me?

I grew up on the Gospel of “3 Times A Week” and the idea that showing up for church is the best right-thing I could do. As long as I was at church I was doing OK. Drinking too much? Showing up at church dressed right and listening to the preacher was the best cure for that. Using drugs? Showing up at church dressed right and listening to the preacher was the best cure for that. Having sex? Lying? Stealing? Eating too much? Prejudiced? Showing up at church dressed right and listening to the preacher was the best cure for that.

The problem I continue to wrestle with from my training is the idea of “at church” instead of “be church”. I have heard too much about the need to be at church as the cure for all the worlds problems when Christ called us over and over to be the church to the world.

If I am being the church, how much time do I have for drinking and drugs and illicit sex and hating another person because of skin color or where they live? Being the church is a consuming task and one that requires me to think about others instead of myself all the time.

Congregating is good. It is needed. It is a positive energy producer when we surround ourselves with other people who want to be the church. People love being with people who build them up, feed them spiritually and emotionally and go into the next day and week with the energy that we are serving others, we are building others up, we are feeding others. That’s exciting. That’s energy building stuff that motivates us and moves us.

An hour on Sunday? C.mon Pastor. Jesus asks for our LIFE, not an hour. He calls us to LIVE like him, not sit on your pew and make you feel good that we showed up to hear you.

I’m not giving up an hour of my life to be AT your church. When you are ready to engage me AS the church, let’s talk and see if we can’t find a way to change ourselves and the world to be what Christ has really called us for.

Grace and peace.

In The Middle

31 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by Seeking Peace in Christian Living

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Christlikeness, worship

We are called to worship. We are called to a time and place where the saints gather and worship the Lord.

We are called to rest. We are called to a sabbath time where the saints rest and worship the Lord.

In between are the days where we are called to be the church, to minister, to love, to teach, to help.

I am not trying to be too literal in the day of worship, day of rest and days of ministry. In our world they all seem to blur together.

My point is this. Christ’s “church” is called to do a lot more than go to a church service or take a day off to rest but it seems that is often overshadowed by the need to be “at church”.

I remember when I started to love to be at the worship service. It was when I started missing it for baseball games my son was playing on Sunday mornings. It was when my life got hard and I had people minister to me at those baseball games unlike anything I had experienced in a worship service. It was when I was able to reach out and touch some other people at those games and feel God working through me. It was in those times and times of personal turmoil that I wanted to be with some brothers and sisters who loved me and to share worship with them. It was after I came to know Jesus personally because of some people who were working in my life when I was hurting and raw that I came to love gathering to worship. It was during that time I learned that worship isn’t a command so much as a gift.

We are called to be Christ to others more than we are called to worship. Living Christ-like will drive the desire and passion to worship Christ.

Grace and peace.

Church Pews and Excuses

29 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by Seeking Peace in Christian Living

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attendance, Christlikeness, church

I recently saw a sign at a local congregation that read, “If excuses came to church the pews would be full.” Funny sign.

I pass by this building several times a week and read their sign. I believe they are good people with the intention of doing good things. I notice their sign is often about people needing to come to “the church” and attending services. It got me thinking about all the times Jesus called his followers to be at services.

Jesus called us TO BE THE CHURCH, not come to church. We have abused the word “church” so much that we have forgotten it is a group of people, not a building. He said to GO, he showed us how to walk among the lost, to eat with them and join them in their homes. He taught us to love and to give.

Now, the sign is right in one sense because I have been one to use excuses why I can’t be the church. I’m not good enough. I don’t know enough. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. I’m not a good people person. Yada, yada, yada. I have used excuses to not be the church. If excuses could be the church, maybe the hungry would be less hungry, the naked would be less naked and the hurting would be a little less hurt.

I look forward to the day there is much less focus on the pews and much more focus on being active as the church. If our hearts are in the right place and our minds and bodies are doing the right thing, the pews will take care of themselves.

Go, be the church today.

Grace and peace.