|
“That You May Come to Believe”
- John 20:19-31 |
||||||
|
When I was six years old, I begged my father to let me attend a Pastor’s Class for children (twice my age) in the church. He and Mom couldn’t see any harm in it, so I was allowed to quietly sit and listen. I loved it! When the sessions were over, I asked my parents if I could make my confession of faith and be baptized. “No way!” they said. I was too young. The next year, Dad taught it again, and because of my persistent begging, they allowed me to attend. Afterwards, I asked, again, for permission to make my confession of faith and get baptized. Again, the answer was “No. You are too young.” The same thing happened still, a third year – with the same result. A fourth time, I attended the class, and asked for permission to make my confession of faith and be baptized. Finally, that fourth time, when I was ten years old, Mom and Dad said, “Yes.” There was a deep desire in me that would not let me go. I had an innocent – but very enthusiastic – commitment to follow Jesus. And so I did. I wanted to be a part of the Church and take communion every Sunday. I wanted to have the opportunity to be a Junior Deacon. I innocently romanticized the Christian life. I naively believed that I would come up out of the baptismal water and automatically be a different, more godly person. I made a major life commitment that I did not understand. Do you remember when you decided to follow Jesus? Do you remember the time that you were baptized or confirmed? Was your experience like mine? One of the gripes that I hear from other pastors is that we, congregations of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), do a pretty decent job of attracting and inviting others to come and join our church, but then are disinterested to the condition of our members’ spiritual life after they join. It is as if we care more about the number of members a congregation has than we care about its spiritual vitality. We live in a culture that measures success by growth in numbers – worship attendees, budget growth, and congregation size. When two pastors are introduced, a question that always gets asked is, “How big is your congregation?” Our thinking about congregational life has been shaped by a culture that measures value with charts and graphs. Too many pastors and laity only think of church members as “numbers” or “offering checks,” instead of the “Beloved of God” with questions, and struggles, and gifts of ministry, and passions. What we have been doing in the Church is (to quote the subtitle of one of Dr. Jan G. Linn’s books) “counting members” instead of “having members who count. (Rocking the Church Membership Boat: Counting Members or Having Members Who Count, Chalice Press, 2001). I admit it. I’ve struggled with this mindset about Church all of my adult and professional life! It is as if we mainline Protestant churches have said, “Make your confession of faith in Jesus, get baptized, and join the church. After you join, you can do whatever you want to. The rest doesn’t matter.” There is no responsibility or accountability! You don’t want to attend worship services regularly? O.K. We’ll just mark you down over here in the “non-participating” column. Want to attend once or twice a year? Oh, well, that’s different! Now you are in the “participating” member column! You don’t want to support the work of the congregation, or give of your time and gifts in ministry? That’s O.K. Don’t want to pray, or study? No problem. We’ll just keep your name on this permanent membership list until you die or ask us to take your name off. 80% of Americans say they are members of a church – but less than half ever attend a worship service. What’s wrong with this picture? If we compare the teachings of Jesus to the average Christian Protestant life, they don’t match up! What we are doing is not a reflection of the Christian life! It’s time for us to be honest about the Christian life! People need to be told that it’s not easy – and demands much from us. From its conception as a new congregation, Bread of Life Christian Church was to be something different. After reading Dr. Linn’s book, I knew that it was possible for us to spend our spiritual gifts, energy, joy, love, prayer, and financial resources “being church” instead of “doing church.” We could focus our congregational life together on emphasizing covenantal discipleship with Jesus instead of church membership.
Our congregation is not an exclusive one, but rather, an inclusive one. We welcome anyone who wants to join us in this life-long pilgrimage called “the Christian Life.” Everyone is invited to come and participate in our worship, our Spiritual Life Groups, our Outreach ministries, our decision-making, and our fellowship. But let there be no mistake! When Jesus calls us to discipleship, and we accept the call, it is a call to a disciplined spiritual life.
Next week, I will begin a series of sermons that addresses the four aspects of Covenant Discipleship. Between now and May 22, I hope you will make every effort to be present for this important time in the life of our congregation. Jesus said to his disciples – and really to the whole church, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” I believe that the way of Covenant Discipleship will be a blessing to all of us who have not seen and yet have come to believe. Let us pray. O God, all we have to do is start reading the New Testament to realize that the call to follow Jesus really is a way of life. And it isn’t easy. As we read, study, reflect, and pray together, strengthen our faith in Jesus. Deepen our love for Jesus. And may our lives be a reflection of our love for him and for the world. In his name we pray. Amen. |