Dedication
“Easy does it” is whispered routinely on Sunday morning on the way into our Church. I’m sure more than one of our members can relate to the constant worry of falling or stumbling on their way to the front door. Our minds want so badly to skip right into the Sanctuary and plop down on a pew. Unfortunately, our bodies have something different planned for us. I recently heard from one of our regular Worship attendees that she wakes up at 4:30am in order to make a 10:00am Worship time. This same routine is done nearly every Sunday. She assures me that she is on the move those entire five and a half hours. That is how long it takes to shower, get dressed, eat, and get here. Whenever I see her, I am reminded of her dedication and love for this place. This kind of commitment is humbling, contagious, and inspiring. Honestly, it leaves me feeling a little jealous. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I’m saying “I wish I cared about something so much.”
There is so much about the Church that I find petty; the proselytizing, the performances, the programming, the politics, and the pageantry. Those things, I could take or leave, but the dedicated people are irreplaceable. To make Christ something that transforms the way we live in the world… sign me up for that! To follow Christ in ways that compel us to spend every Sunday morning worshiping next to someone who shares our devotion… that is the kind of community people want to be a part of. Devotion to the Church is planted deeply within the bones of so many faithful people. This is the kind of faith that the disciples modeled.
One question that I get asked routinely is, “why has the younger generation largely abandoned the Church?” The answer is simple, because the story about why anyone would get up at 4:30am to come to Church has never been told. I’m not sure where it came from, but the teaching of our faith as a private matter has tragically misled us. Our faith has everything to do with creating a loving community. Of course or faith informs our desired public policies. Absolutely, our faith dictates how we setup society. Any faith that does not have implications for how we live-out our daily lives, is not the kind of faith Jesus taught. If we cannot articulate how the Church makes an observable difference, then it will only matter to our individual life. Young people have not abandoned the Church, they have abandoned an institution that they perceive to not be making a difference. If I’m being honest, we have largely not demonstrated that their perceptions are wrong. We must make our difference-making known because if spirituality is only an individual endeavor, then the Church becomes obsolete. Serving and loving others is not a branch of the Church, it is the tree trunk. Our faith must be tangible, visible, and public.
We may get a sour taste in our mouths when we hear the word “evangelism.” This happens because too often evangelism has implications of deceit, marketing ploys, and boastfulness. However, just because some Churches have manipulative intentions, does not mean that evangelism is unimportant. We have to always tell the story. We cannot afford to leave the “why” unanswered. What motivates us to be in community with one another? What calls us to create a society built around the Gospel principles of love, peace, justice, and compassion? Together, we must love to the tell story of Jesus and his love. Make no mistake, this love is not only for us, but for all people. Christ came for the sake of the world. What Jesus endured on the Cross was not for you or me, it was for the sake of the world.
Believe it or not, God does not require us to tell the story. God is going to do what God is going to do. Even if Christians everywhere put duck tape over of mouths, God would still be present in the world. God may not be as celebrated if we couldn’t speak, but God would still be alive and active. God works through us regardless of if we talk about it, or if we’re even aware of it. It’s the Church that would cease to exist if our mouths were shut. I love the Church. I love pouring my heart and soul into ensuring its survival. I am fueled by seeing us reach our fullest potential. As a Church, our dedication is to help this place become a community where catching glimpses of the Kin-dom of God is habitual and to be expected. God is the source our our dedication. A deep love for Christ is our reason “why.”
Telling the story,
Pr. Lucas McSurley
Photo by Jana Sabeth