The silly season will soon arrive when you will hear, “What do you want for Christmas?” Endlessly creative lists of desires will follow. Others will go all high-horse and not ask for anything, while silently hoping you can read minds. Still others will completely miss the point and wish a bride for Prince William or a Stanley Cup for the Maple Leafs—only one of which seems remotely possible.
But given that Christmas is rooted in the Great Gift-Giver, should we not be asking, “What will you give for Christmas?” This would be, despite all the trappings and absurdities that have become part of the sugar overdose of Yuletide, at least one small step in the right direction.
Many approach the wonder of the church in the same way we have been conditioned to view Christmas. We bring sloppy church-thought to the fore when we say something like, “I want a church that will meet my needs!” We almost stomp our feet when we say this, and there is much worth puking over in this type of toddler-tantrum.
The local church is no drive-thru. A church is the neighbourhood expression of the people of God, saved by a cross of grace, resurrected from the dominion of self, and called out of the world only to be sent back to it as one body. The church is gathered by the Father to live like Jesus in the world in the power of the Spirit, not some abstract entity for Christian cherry-picking. When we treat the church like consumers, we are participating in heresy.
The abundance of churches in most communities means some Christians, bulging at the seams from being force-fed the lie that they are the centre of the universe and having never wrestled biblically with the nature of the church, look at church buildings in much the same way they view strip malls: “I wonder if that church will make me happier,” or, “I’m sure this one will give me what I want, and probably for a better deal.” The variety of the body of Christ is thus reduced to the equivalent of competing catalogues and sales events.
A more biblical, and perhaps even history-altering, approach would be akin to that other Christmas question. Instead of selfishly hoping for a church that will meet my wants and needs, what might change if we would say, “I want to join God in meeting the world’s needs! I have graciously received. What can I now give and who will I do it with?”
* First, it might actually begin correcting our sloppy church-thought and recover a biblical ecclesiology that sees the church as God’s idea to change the world (Ephesians 3:10) and not his department store for spiritual shopaholics.
* Second, it might give us a greater appreciation for those who serve and lead the church. Rather than see our leaders as holy service providers who need to put out or move on, we might become an army of kingdom agents asking, “How might I serve?” instead of, “What have you done for me lately?” It might also be just what our leaders need to be freed from the tyranny of performance that keeps many shackled and fearful.
* Third, it might actually make us happier. We may discover that joining God’s mission to meet the world’s deepest needs is exceedingly more exhilarating, and unifying, than having another itch scratched. We may, in fact, discover the joy of the Great Giver himself.
3 comments:
Good post on a topic which I also perennially wrestle with and blog about.
I see your location is Surrey, and you said you've moved across Canada. Does this mean you are now living in the Pacific Northwest?
I've lived in Edmonton, Kelowna and Vancouver BC, but my hometown is where I live now, Portland, Oregon.
When I lived in Vancouver in 1987-88 my church was Saint James, the wonderful old church where Chinatown and Skid Row meet.
I can't tell your church affiliation, but I am familiar with the concept "missional" which comes out of an evangelical milieu.
From 1988 onwards, I have been Greek Orthodox, but I am not limited by denomination. There is only one Church and it's never been divided. What we see here is the result of our poor eyesight.
The ideas you express here, speaking the same language I speak, like ecclesiology, make me think you are both experienced and learned. I don't mean this as personal praise, just making an observation.
I will be following your blog to see where you will go with it. I am not an ordained minister, and basically I value function over form. Let there be priests and pastors in name, but those who actually minister are those that follow Jesus intimately, and never let any churchly considerations get in the way of their call.
By the way, my comment on your previous post did end up becoming a post at my blog:
http://cost-of-discipleship.blogspot.com/2010/11/neck-and-neck-with-rainbow.html
That is where a good many of my posts have come from, my interaction with other bloggers.
Grace and peace,
Romanos
Romanos,
Yes, we've moved to Surrey, BC. My faith history stems from Anabaptism, currently serving with the Mennonite Brethren. I have a great appreciation for Orthodoxy...it's a joy getting to know you.
Phil
I might have guessed!
The Mennonite Brethren are a community that is very close to my heart personally.
Official Orthodoxy can be an intimidating manifestation of "imperial church" as is currently going on in Russia. But on the level of faith and practice, a faithful Orthodox and a faithful Mennonite have more in common than differences.
Hope you will adjust well to our Pacific climate, and to the Vancouver area's pervasive multi-culturalism. Portland is Babylon, but Vancouver is Singapore, not as dangerous spiritually, because the paganism where you are is mostly ethnically contained. Here in Portland, the city starts out being pagan, and so it is rather like Babylon for its atrocities, and rather like Rome for its elitism and patronising syncretism.
Christ be with you.
Post a Comment