Back in the Pulpit
For the first time in a year and a half, I preached this morning. I substituted for the pastor at the church where I am a member now. It was a good experience, but I was also aware that for the moment I am not called into the pulpit on a regular basis. It did give me a chance to reflect a little more about what it means to be the church in this postmodern world. Nothing new, but it was good to do. So- here it is.

Two weeks ago Pastor Bill gave us an interesting statistic. Most people make a decision to accept and follow Jesus as children or teenagers. Very few this decision as an adult. He then added the insight that as far as bearing fruit is concerned, working with children is more fruitful.

Well, I want to argue with him today. He knows I’m going to do it. I told him two weeks ago after the service. I’ll even leave him a copy of the sermon unless someone is taping it and he can hear it.

I’m not going to argue with the statistics. Those have been reviewed and proven true over and over again. Among people who have made a decision to follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior, most have made that decision while still young- usually no older than high school. Those are irrefutable.

No, I want to argue with the assumption that this is more fruitful. It may be an easier way to introduce people to Jesus, it may have been the most consistently effective way, it may even be historically the most successful, but I’m not sure it is something we should continue to hang the church’s on.

Most people who are believers have come to that decision because their families brought them to church and/or Sunday School where they made the decision. They have been brought up to be Christians.

Yet, while the church has done a good job of introducing our own children- and at times- other people’s children to Jesus we have done a generally poor job of even attempting to introduce adults to Jesus. Religion, after all, is a private matter. It is not something that people talk about in polite company. It is sure to raise arguments. People might get upset.

As a result we in the church have tended to be more concerned about ourselves than may be healthy. As long as we remain focused on ourselves and what happens inside the church, we will not do a very good job of reaching the 40% - 60% of the population that does not accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. What we often do IN church doesn’t have any impact on the lives of those outside. It doesn’t pull them toward Jesus. It doesn’t raise the interest or meaning or hope. It isn’t for them.

Jesus said- this is the first and greatest commandment- to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind. The second is just like it- you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Now in spite of a lot of modern psychological thinking- and I make my living doing psychological thinking every day- this is not about loving ourselves first. Jesus is quoting Leviticus 19:18 which is often called part of the holiness code- the way to holiness. One commentary I read at Dylan's Lectionary Blog, said "there is no hint in the Bible of the modern psychological emphasis on the need for self-esteem and the idea that one must love oneself before loving others". Self-esteem is a fine thing, to be sure, and people have benefited a great deal from the insights of modern psychology, but these interior emotional states just weren't a focus in first-century Mediterranean cultures.

Sarah at the blog asked? So what does this command mean, then? As is often the case, the Bible is pretty good at interpreting itself. So we turn to James 2:1-17, a commentary on this thought. When Jesus said "love your neighbor as yourself," he was essentially saying, "treat all those around you as you would your own flesh and blood" -- that is, as sisters and brothers in one family, deserving of equal honor and special care. You may notice that this passage in James treats "faith" and "love" almost as synonyms; while American churches tend to read both as interior mental or emotional states, in first-century Mediterranean cultures true faith and true love are both matters of relationship backed up with consistent action, of treating people with respect and living out rather than merely professing compassion.

In other words, to be holy we are to reach out- loving others.

What greater love can there be than to act in a way that brings others to a relationship with Jesus? What greater love can there be than to want to live in such a way that our friends and others will be able to experience the wonder of a relationship- a living relationship- with the creator?

I came across a remarkable quote a few months ago. It was made originally by a man who committed his life to mission work in Asia. He understood that the work of a Christian is not found in the church, per se, but in the world. The quote was simple and poetic. It hit me powerfully, as his wish:

Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell;
I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell

What does that mean for the church today? What does that mean for those of us living as part of the Body of Christ in this 21st Century? I wish I knew the particulars. They are, I have a hunch, as many and varied as we are. I am sure that these particulars will take us out of our comfort zones and comfortable pews to face uncertainty with hope; fear with courage; sadness with comfort; judgment with grace.

I also have a hunch that the fruits of bringing adults to Jesus are just as powerful and perhaps even more profound and moving than bringing our children. That is because it is not an either/or proposition. It has to be a both/and. If the church is to meet it’s mission- to be Jesus’ body in the world- we have to bring the little children, we have to touch the lepers and foreigners, we have to kneel beside those caught in sin and challenge the judgmental to go ahead and cast the first stone. In this 21st century world we have more opportunities and more abilities to touch the world for Jesus with what we do than ever before. We have more people around us who are in need- who are dying a thousand deaths daily- than ever before. Our challenge is to live the words of Jesus… live into holiness.

Jesus said- this is the first and greatest commandment- to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind. The second is just like it- you shall love your neighbor as yourself.