I recently came across a link to a letter written to Churches who seemingly welcome new people to their congregations. Honest, forthright, and blunt, this letter is simultaneously entertaining and uncomfortable because it allows us within the Church to say a collective “Whew, we’re not like that …” while also gasping and gulping with the horrified realization that we ARE like that in other ways …
Sometimes, we need a bit of humility to remind us of our core calling as Church, and to allow us to clear away some of the clutter and reorient ourselves to the important ministries we have … it was a letter that was timely given our reading this morning.
Our readings this morning are powerful reminders of what is really important.
Moses comes down from the Mountain top after having stood in the very presence of God carrying with him the Decalogue – the ten commandments which will for THOUSANDS of years guide the religious and practical aspects of almost HALF the globe.
When we look at the 10 Commandments, they are not really that big of a deal, but are more or less common sense ways of living our life in respectful and faithful ways … human nature though tends to look for loop holes as soon as we have a suggestion that we could do things better or differently.
Then we encounter a fully enraged and VERY passionate Jesus in the heart of the Temple in Jerusalem driving out the merchants and the money changers. Jesus had a strong sense of what the Temple should be, and the profit making enterprises that had settled in to enforce adherence to the Mosaic law was driving him to distraction.
The background of this moment is eerily similar to the complacency we see in the modern Church. The Mosaic law as it pertains to sacrifice is simple – you were as a faithful person to bring your offerings to the Temple in Jerusalem where they would be offered to God.
The fly in the ointment came when the priests and scribes and temple officials began to interpret the law a little more closely … the animals had to be unblemished … the food had to be perfect, no withering, no bruising, no damage from transport … to supply the pilgrims with ‘perfect’ offering, traders began to gather near the temple and for a small fee they would exchange your offering, no doubt damaged slightly from transport and somewhat less than ‘perfect’ for something unblemished and undamaged.
In time, these merchants moved from the harsh sunlight outside the temple compound into the shade of the towering walls, then with the tacit blessing of the temple authorities they moved into the temple compound itself, taking up semi-permanent residence in the vast porches the surrounded the majestic temple itself.
A comparison to this is found at the Shrine of St Joseph’s in Montreal, where the building next door housed a veritable supermarket of Religious and pilgrimage stuff … I remember going there in the early 90’s and marvelling at the sheer breadth of religious stuff that was available … statues, plaques, cards, and all manner of items festooned with almost every Saint or religious image imaginable … and that store paled in comparison to the stuff available in the stores and stalls throughout the Old City of Jerusalem itself … we still have the same problem that Jesus faced in his day!
Jesus solution was to make the very public and very provocative gesture of trying to physically drive the merchants OUT of the temple.
In taking the stand that the animals and produce and offerings that were good enough to God to give the pilgrim were good enough to give BACK to God, Jesus was offending the merchants and money changers as well as EVERYONE associate with the temple itself. This was an act of complete and total heresy!! It was an open act of rebellion … yet, the motivation for Jesus rested in the 10 Commandments …
He yearned to see the people return to what was important and central to their faith – honouring and celebrating God.
I liken what Jesus sought to art work offered to God … while a glorious painting by a talented and much heralded artist gracing the walls of our Church would be nice and appealing, it is in no way any better or more holy than the beautiful crayon drawings and scribbled offerings of our children and young people who feel compelled to sketch the feelings of their heart. If it is good enough for God to bring it into being in the first place, it is good enough to offer it back to God as a way of saying ‘thanks’.
It is ALL about coming back to basics and giving up on the frivolous trappings that catch our attention and distract us … as someone who has ADHD, this akin to abandoning the bright shiny objects and keeping our attention on what is really important!
It may take some effort, but it is worth it.
The letter I mentioned earlier is a similar call to action that Jesus embodied in the Temple that day in Jerusalem, though on a less active and more inviting scale.
The letter is from a couple who are admittedly church shopping, and is offered as a way of helping Churches reach out and make people like them feel welcome.
They begin by asking that Congregations seeking new members avoid:
Public Humiliation – please don’t make us stand up in a room full of total strangers and introduce ourselves. We want to be anonymous because we’re not sure we want to see you again and, frankly, we’re still seeing other churches. It’s not you, it’s us, and we just don’t know you very well yet. (And, believe me, if we do decide to join you, you’ll be lucky to get us to shut up, so enjoy the quiet while you can get it.)
Then they ask that we:
Acknowledge We Exist – Being anonymous is not the same as being invisible. We’re probably going to be a little confused about what to do and where to go so having someone to greet us and ask if we have questions, or let us know if you do something you own unique way, is most appreciated. Plus, if you act like we’re not there, we start to think we might as well not be there as it doesn’t seem to matter to you.
The one I have encountered before is the request to:
Put it in writing – spell out *everything* we need to know in the bulletin. When to sit, when to stand, where to find the words. Even if you have one of those groovy new digital displays, include in the bulletin what will and wont be on the display screen (’cause some of you like to mix it up and not everything goes up there.)
The other aspect of this is an ongoing dilemma in the Church on how we talk about our activities and happenings. I once constructed a bulletin that used almost EVERY acronym I could come up with in the Church. From PAR and M&S through to JNAC, M&P, on to GC 2012, I listed ALL theses various items in the announcements and wasn’t surprised when regular Church attenders asked what more than half of them meant … if WE who are regular attendees don’t know ALL of the acronyms we throw around mean, how can ANY newcomer stand a chance?
The letter goes on and asks us to remember new comers, to have an accessible and up to date web presence, to be up front about where and when things are happening, and don’t assume people have ESP and can divine these things on their own – too much information is better than not enough. And that includes talking about what we believe.
In the letter they cite the importance of sharing what you believe by saying “It’s really helpful before we show up waving our rainbow flags to know that you’ll be petitioning for an Intelligent Design curriculum in the local schools. And if that is your community’s belief, that’s wonderful, but we both know we’re not going to be a good fit there so we might as well save each other the frustration. We’re going to find out soon enough, so why don’t we get that awkward part out of the way”
My favourite observation though is gentle request to NOT STALK the new comers. They ask “please don’t run out of the church and down the street chasing after us to tell us you were glad to see us (and, yes, that really happened). When you act like it’s a miracle of God that you have visitors, it freaks us out.”
As I read through this letter – to read it in its entirety it is linked on our Church webpage – I found myself laughing and cringing because I recognize both ends of the spectrum in the life and ministry of many churches I know of … when it comes to us, I see this letter as a good reminder of the work we have to do while it ALSO celebrates the MANY good things we’re already doing.
We have some areas that need work – ALL CHURCHES DO, but thankfully as we move through our Lenten journey we can celebrate the aspects of ministry that we’re doing well … one of the areas that this past week has risen to the fore is the gift of prayer that we share …
I had a bit of an epiphany moment – not sure if Ephiphanies are appropriate in Lent, but whatever … in realizing how central and important Prayer is to ALL that we do and ALL that we are as a Church.
We have several prayer circles that raise concerns and celebrations within our church families and our community … the requests for prayer are common, and responded to positively … the gift of prayer is the most open, honest and welcoming gift we share together – and it is an integral and indivisible part of who we are as a Church.
And it is that return to the BASICS of our faith that is what we’re called to be about in our readings today … To clear away the clutter and the frivolous distractions and reorient ourselves on what is central to ur calling: gathering in community, worshipping together, joining in fellowship and binding ALL of it – everything we say and do as a Church – binding ALL of it in the gift of prayer.
When we refocus on what’s important and ground who we are and what we do in prayer we can then truly celebrate the closing sentiments the letter from Lyda and Brian who end their letter by saying: “Any number of the things that might bring us to your doorstep can make it hard to do much more than show up, sit quietly in the back, and sneak out afterwards. But that’s the beautiful thing about church communities – they bring new people into your life, they can open your heart and mind to new experiences, they can mend those deepest of wounds, and affirm your relationship with God.With all that on the line, don’t let the little things mentioned above get in the way of connecting people to the Good News.”
In Prayer, let us dare to live our faith oriented to what is important.
May it be so – thanks be to God … Let us pray …
