“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me..."
(Jesus, as remembered in John 10:27)
After church on Sunday, we decided to grab a burrito at a local place that makes burritos the size of footballs. I miss football, so a burrito sounded awesome. As we ate, I noticed that several folks were trickling into the burrito place from the church across the street. Some were even wearing bright yellow shirts with the church logo on them. "Well, that's cool!" I thought. "I'll have to check that out later."
After lunch, we went home and changed into play clothes. The two little boys busted out some hops in the bouncy house and our oldest practiced his last-second game-winners from half-court. Some friends were in town from out-of-town and we had a great visit ranging from home-grown eggs to home-made barley soda and all points in-between. In the end, I traded some eggs in good-faith for some future soda. No money traded hands, so I do not think any Sabbath regulations were crossed. In the evening, my wife and I watched an obscure movie that wasn't terrible.
But I kept thinking about those cool ecclesiastical accouterments.
Alas! The day was over so I committed to a peaceful Sabbath rest. However, in the morning, I woke up with those trendy trousseaux still tripping through my mind. Consequently, I googled the church across from the burrito factory and I came across some things that gurgled and churned and caused me some discomfort. This is what I read:
1. We want to turn the world upside down.
2. We will be a transforming force in the community.
3. We can be effective in mission when we focus our resources on a specific spot (in the world).
Am I over-reacting? Magnifying the minute? Perhaps. But it sounds an awful lot like church by our own strength. Maybe it is not. But I envision a different kind of church with a different kind of website reading:
1. We believe that Jesus has already turned the wold upside down. Our task is to encourage this upside-down community in living with this new perspective.
2. We believe that Jesus is already transforming the community. We need to celebrate with those that have been transformed.
3. Effective mission is not focused on a specific spot, but a way of life so radically different that people want to be a part of it.
It's easy to be critical. Especially when all I know about a church is a cool, yellow shirt and a couple of words on a web-site. However, I believe that the personal practice of Sabbath helps us to discern the true voice of God...one that does not need us to turn the world upside down, but invites us, instead, on a pulse-pounding ride that has the potential to make us a little-bit gurgly in the stomach, and cause us some discomfort.
Church Stopping. Less doing. More being.
Photo from www.freeimages.com #167304
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