"The last thing the faithful wish for is to be disturbed." --Peter J. Gomes
My heart grows more weary every time I read that quote. The truth of it is an anchor that threatens to pin the Church to the ocean floor. It has become increasingly more common to hear discussions about "Americanized Christianity" and the way our church communities have become nothing more than neighborhood Novocain dealers to help us make it through another week. Surely there are exceptions to this (possibly) exaggerated accusation, but the point must be made nonetheless. We want church, and even God for that matter, to work for us. We want the songs that make us feel worshipful, we want the service to end in time to beat the lunch crowds, we want Bible study to begin and end in the classroom, and we want sermons that inspire us just enough so that we can admit to ourselves we know the right things to do...but not so much that we discipline ourselves to change our ways. We have found insipid safety of routine and hung a big fat "Do Not Disturb" sign on every sanctuary door, altar, and crucifix.
Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead...
The contributing factors to our paralyzed state are too numerous to count, but include such things as the influence of media, widespread use and advancement of technology, increase in self-dependency, and even downright ignorance. And ignorance, I believe, is the problem that every church has the ability and responsibility to address. Small groups and Sunday school have been compared to "spiritual daycare" (Gomes again), music ministers' and worship leaders' artistry has moved from music to manipulation, and pastors/preachers/ministers have become timid enough that the church is more about comfort than transformation. I am not convinced it is the fault of the church leadership, in fact I am almost convinced that they are not even the half of it. I believe a major contributing factor to these digressions is the powerful voice of the congregations. If people are not "getting out of church" what they want, their voices are loud and clear and are all but impossible to ignore. However, that being said, the leadership and laity must necessarily work together in order to restore sustenance and meaning to their church communities. Which brings us back to one of my proposed solutions: education. If the church could provide the opportunity for people to become educated, provide them with opportunities to experience, and provide purposed community involvement, I suspect we would see some life breathed back into our congregations. When the congregation can articulate why a service is ordered the way it is, or have a very very very basic comprehension of church history or doctrinal beliefs or the religions of the world, or see how every song, prayer, Scripture reading, sermon subject, and Bible study topics are interwoven to create a holistic learning and spiritual experience, the Awesomeness and utter Majesty of God will be all the more real. It is only in His infinite wisdom and grace that we should venture forward in these things.
I feel free to say all this because I too am guilty of complacency, comfort, and ignorance. This is a call born out of finding myself as Lazarus did, in the dank back corner of a tomb with the voice of Jesus Christ telling me to come out. I need a community and a church to help me hear that voice, and what I have said here is a collection of thoughts that have been brewing over the last few years. There are probably things I have overstated or am wrong about, but there is also so much more to be discussed and explored. I once heard a sermon that asked the question, "Are we looking at Jesus in a glass case, or feeling His breath on our face?" Please, please entreat me as I entreat you: Wake up O sleeper...
