The Body of Christ
Yesterday’s epistle (I Corinthians 12:12-31) led me to emphasize our callings to serve together in the Body of Christ. St. Paul makes very strong points countering the thoughts (1) “I’m not that special, the church doesn’t really need me,” and conversely (2) “You’re not that special, the church doesn’t really need you.”
In the congregation where I first served as the pastor with complete responsibility for the members’ well-being they had a program called “Hands in Harmony.” A member named Lloyd had developed it. It divided the congregation into seven groups. One group signed up for a month’s worth of tasks: lectors/readers, ushers, providing coffee before Sunday School and Bible class, etc. Then, they would host the next month’s group at a luncheon, where that second group would sign up for their tasks in the following month. Overall there were 110 different jobs that needed to be done for the church to provide worship and other functions each month.
As I recall yesterday, here, there were people opening the doors and welcoming worshippers, people handing out the bulletins and taking the collection, serving at the Information Center, serving as acolytes, preparing the coffee/cookies/fruit to be shared after each of the worship services, teaching Sunday school, monitoring the sound and the projection of the services, playing keyboards, drums, singing and reading the lessons. Oh, and to heighten your appreciation for those reading the lessons, take a look at the names they read from Nehemiah 8:1-10!
St. Paul’s words about the Body of Christ are important for every gathering of God’s people. They are important for you. You belong, and you are deeply needed among us.
Ideology
We’re living in an age when conversations on difficult topics are more and more rare and disagreements escalate into the hurling of invectives. A video on social media becomes viral, insinuations are made, and people are demonized before the facts are checked. How did we get here? And how shall we address this?
In an article for “The Catholic Thing” in September of 2016, Anthony Esolen blamed the rise of ideology. “Ideology is an ersatz religion. It rushes into the emptiness when one no longer is open to the divine.” I’ve heard that echoed more recently. When the message of God to the people He would redeem to Himself is not heard, when His Word no longer has the final say, when His Church, the Body of Christ, is no longer a mediating influence, everything is up for grabs. Politics then becomes the battlefield for what will be declared right and wrong, sacred and profane.
Please don’t misunderstand. I don’t want to paint ideology as wholly irredeemable. It is a part of most every life. We have beliefs about what is best for our nation. We have passions about the best way to accomplish something.
But without God’s guidance, God’s call to accountability, and God’s power for sanctified change and discipleship (read “Gospel”), ideology rules the roost (and ideology is a terrible tyrant). Esolen, again: “Ideology is impatient, unkind, envious, vain; obnoxious, self-seeking, touchy; believing the worst, rejoicing in iniquity; seething against the truth, tolerating nothing; restless, without real faith or hope in God.”
A return to the Word of God is the solution. Surely, in that Word we are chastened and that’s not an easy selling point. But, in that Word we are also healed. God confronts us in our sin for the express purpose of moving us to repentance. In that repentance we will find the wondrous message of God’s complete forgiveness and never-ending love. And in that Word God Himself is at work.
Cancellation
“Have you ever cancelled a Sunday service?” This question was posed after we cancelled our Saturday evening worship service on January 12, 2019, due to the snow. A prediction of 5-7 inches turned into 11+ inches. We didn’t hold that service, but there was still a Bradley University basketball game. In my mind I thought, “If someone can make it to the Saturday night basketball game, they can certainly make it to worship on Sunday.” And lo and behold, many of them did! Thankfully, everyone was safe and we were able to worship on Sunday, January 13, 2019, to observe the Baptism of our Lord.
Throughout the years I have served in places where we did have to cancel the latest service on a Christmas Eve, as well as the Christmas Day worship, because of a howling blizzard. (I believe that was the same year my mother-in-law cracked her pelvis as she slipped on the ice). A midweek Advent evening service in a different year was likewise cancelled for the same reason.
Other than that, I can remember only a few times when the worship was held but I couldn’t participate in it. One Sunday morning an abscess in my jaw finally put an end to my preaching before the 10:45 service – many thanks to Gary Gruber, an elder, for reading the sermon that day. And then there was an Ash Wednesday when I couldn’t begin to get to work. My associate was sick, too. Arnie Awe, an elder, filled in.
My general rule of thumb is that if I can make it to the church, I will. And we will have a worship service. But I would encourage everyone to be sensible. Don’t take risks on your life or well-being to be in worship. God-willing we’ll be open the next time a worship opportunity presents itself, so you’ll get another chance if you miss this one!
There are many things for which to be thankful in this past weekend’s experience: (1)I’m thankful that for most of my pastoral ministry the weather has been fine and I’ve been in good health. (2) I’m thankful for the technology we have in this age to alert members that services won’t be held. (3) I’m thankful for the workers who step up in these moments – Jamie who knows how to get the previously mentioned alerts sent, and Jeff for his work in clearing the sidewalks and making certain the lot gets cleared. (4) Finally, I’m thankful for the snow and the moisture it means for our land.
Some of you may have seen a few photos on Facebook regarding a Winter family tradition involving a barefoot dash in the snow. I’m thankful I got to do that, too!