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24: A Chance for Equality

My childhood backyard basketball court provided an area for some great but challenging hoops moments. In the early 70’s my dad mounted the backboard to the roof of an extended part of the house directly underneath the patio roof (and as of this article, still stands there today). The goal was over eight feet tall which meant two realities. One, we could dunk the ball in high school. Two, we had no arch for our outside shots. Because of the position of the goal, the court was far from symmetrical, opening up the left wing while bunching up the right side (when the ball touched the house, it was out of bounds). The closed-in quarters was perfect for up to two-on-two games.

My brother, David, and I played many games on that court, and he probably won most of them. He was three years older than me and that court played to his advantage. When he pressured the ball, I might have been able to get a step around him for a layup. When he backed off the ball, it forced me to shoot an outside shot, and with very little arch to the shot, he’d block it. His offensive approach was to back me down where he could sky-hook the ball into the hoops.

It wasn’t that David was a better ball player than me, it was that he was a bigger boy than me.

One day he came to me with a proposition that was an “out of the box” kind of idea. While some might remedy the imbalance by simply spotting me x-points to start the game, David thought differently.

Inspired by the NBA’s twenty-four second shot clock rule, he proposed that we play like there are twenty-four seconds left in the game and we have a five second shot clock. We’d be forced to speed up our play. He couldn’t back me down quickly and use his size and strength over me. The game gave me a fighting chance for equality by balancing the power. If I remember right, his idea worked and it executed the equality needed for our games.

David stumbled onto something theologically rich, especially when looking at what happened at the cross. By eliminating the disadvantages and grip sin has on our lives and by giving us the Holy Spirit, God creates a chance for equality in the fight against sin. Instead of losing every battle with sin, we’re given the power to stand against it, as John says, “Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4). Where we once faced defeat, we now can face victory.

But the call for equality stretches beyond the individual and works its way throughout the church. The church was set up as an equalizer among the people. Because we all belong to Jesus, we no longer view people in terms of status or strength (Gal. 3:28-29). I’m not a better Christian because of family connections, wealth, race, education, age, place of origin and/or using any earthly position as an advantage stands against Jesus’ work at the cross.

No clearer picture of the church’s equalizer appears than when we gather around the Table as one. As Paul points out, the one loaf (or one cup) represents the unity, oneness and equality found at the cross (1 Cor. 10:17). We’re all in this together and no one has a size advantage, either against sin or in a relationship with God.

My brother and I played many games under the “24” format, but it never translated to another venue. Open spaces was its own equalizers. No other place offers a chance for equality than when the church sits around the Table in need of Jesus.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

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Redemption on Your Next Flight

“God help me.” Whip Whitaker, played by Denzel Washington in the movie Flight, uttered those words under his breath as he sat before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) at a hearing to defend his actions. Sweat began to bead up on his forehead and his throat was suddenly parched. His hands began to shake as he reached for a glass of water. His defense had been rehearsed and prepared. He wasn’t going to jail for a manufacturing problem with the airline. The skill he mastered over years of experience saved nearly a hundred lives. But in this moment all he could muster from his dry, crackling voice was repeating his words, “God help me!”

Whitaker is a hero. Because of a damaged elevator assembly jackscrew, the flight from Orlando to Atlanta began losing altitude. Whitaker was at the helm of the commercial plane, and without his skill, the plane was sure to crash. He attempted an impossible role-over and soft-landed the aircraft in an open field, saving 96 passengers out of a manifest of 102 (he lost two crew members in the crash).

But something was amiss. While in the hospital, his blood showed he was intoxicated during the flight. Whitaker never denies being drunk, as much as he blamed the crash on a faulty aircraft. But he was not only drunk, he was high on cocaine as well. Whitaker never should have been on the flight, much less near a plane. But the crash wasn’t his fault, and he saved nearly 100 lives in the process.

Throughout the movie, Whitaker’s defensive posture is to blame the airplane and bury his drug addiction. He pressures and coerces a long time coworker and flight attendant to say he was sober on the flight, at the funeral for fellow stewardess, Trina, who died in the crash. But when he speaks to his copilot, Ken Evans, he wasn’t buying what Whitaker was selling. Ken was going to tell the truth about Whitaker’s drunken state.

By the time Whitaker met before the NTSB his toxicology report had been thrown out on technicality. He was free and clear to testify about his state of mind and decisions while on the flight. But a perfect storm was stirring within him and they all collided as he sat for his hearing.

First, his personal life was unraveling by the moment. His wife left him and he had no relationship with his son. The addict he was seeing had left him because she wanted to be sober. His coworkers were tired of covering for him. And the only constant was the alcohol calling to him. He was as far, if not farther, away from God as the prodigal was in the pig pen.

Secondly, prayer took root in his heart when Ken interceded for Whip. Before failing to convince Ken to lie or deflect the investigation away from him, Ken wanted to pray for Whip. Ken held fundamental beliefs and was convinced that everything happens for a specific reason. Portrayed as almost laughable in his convictions, he earnestly prayed for Whip’s redemption. While all appearance looked like the seed fell on hardened soil, apparently it penetrated his soul.

Finally, hard alcohol bottles were discovered in waste cans of the wreckage, disposed of by Whip while on the flight. But at the hearing, and with his toxicology report inadmissible, the blame went to Trina. She was the stewardess who died saving a boy during the severe turbulence, and Whip had been intimate with before the flight. Whip was offered a free pass. He could have walked away and allowed Trina to take the fall.

“God help me” was all Whitaker could muster as he drank his water to clear his throat. Yes, the plane’s mechanical problems predate the flight. Yes, he saved 96 people on board. But he had endangered every life on that plane plus the crew through his addiction. His estranged relationship with his wife and son were haunting him. He was alone with his conscience and the guilt was overwhelming. It was time to come clean. Having owned his negligence, that last scene in the movie is an imprisoned man free from hiding, openly confessing his sin to fellow AA inmates.

If Flight had a message it’s found in the theme of hopeful redemption. For if God can redeem a spiritually bankrupt person like Whip Whitaker, then he can redeem you.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

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Fallen: Not Just Deflated

God’s creation reaches beyond imagination or comprehension. He called the universe into existence. He spoke; it happened. Light. Earth. Sky. Water. Land. Vegetation. Creatures. Sun, moon, stars. Humanity.

He created a garden in Eden and gave it to the man and woman to work it as a holy and sacred ministry. Paradise was born as the beautiful harmony of this world sang its chorus to the Almighty; God and humanity danced in tandem. God never claimed his creation was perfect. But as a smile broke across his face like the rising sun, he said, “It’s very good.” Grace at its easiest.

But good gave way to bad. Sin began destroying all the “good” God had accomplished. Pride. Jealousy. Anger. Murder. Revenge. Social injustice. The world wasn’t simply deflating slowly over time. Sin, not only entered the world (Rom. 15:12), but had exploded and the fallout was a falling from the greatest height of grace.

Humanity’s history is filled with the evidence of a fallen world. On the world stage, we see it at its worst. World War I’s Battle of Somme lasting over five months, has become known as the bloodiest battle in history. A combination of strategic missteps coupled with a compact battle field using unprecedented modern weaponry led to a million soldiers’ deaths (the irony is that many believed the modern weapons would shorten war, not lengthen it). Or what about ruthless dictators refusing to serve the people they lead. Instead, to keep control they inflict harsh living conditions and any dissenting voice is eliminated. Syrian ruler Bashar Assad used chemical weapons against both civilian and rebel populations, killing some 1500 people. Or when we see slavery’s racism, forced relocations and carrying out genocide, we are seeing a world not just deflated, but completely and utterly fallen.

On the personal stage we experience anger, hostility, lying, boasting, abuse, unfaithfulness, dehumanization, apathy, jealousy, hatred, lust and the list is endless. The worst is that we’ve perfected the art of justifying our sinful behavior and believe we’re saintly in our own sin.

But just as death entered the world through one man, life was restored through one man (Rom. 5:12-19).

Jesus’ resurrection reaches beyond imagination or comprehension. White robes. Fresh water. Past sins erased. Freedom’s walk. Guiltless. Death is supposed to be the final word. On that (Easter) Sunday morning sin lost its grip and death had no hold. Death was silenced. In the distant voice you can hear, “I am making all things new” (Rev. 21:5). New. Like God was creating at the beginning. Now God is recreating. New. Like a garden place where God and humanity share in tandem. New. Like a choral sound that actually sounded like a familiar tune with a new twist.

So God comes to us and sees that we’ve broken his world. Instead of shame, guilt and punishment, he says, “I’m working on a new world, and it will never deflate, break or fall (Rev. 21:1).

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

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Good News: In a World Filled with Bad News

In 1983 Anne Murray lamented the barrage of bad news in our society. She highlighted fighting in the Middle East, the bad economy, a local murder, a hostage situation and a robbery. She called for something more than bad news, she wanted reports of good news. She dreamed of reports of Ireland children playing in the streets, people working together, or how the environment was cleaned up. The song resonated with the public, not only going number one, but earning her a Grammy.

Thirty plus years later, her lament is still heard loud and clear. In some ways it’s worse than when the song was released. The 24 hour news cycle, filled with talking heads, have added to the despondency. Mass shootings have citizens walking in fear, or at least created a more fearful awareness of our surroundings. Washington Politics have further divided the American public, creating more suspicion and less trust. We’re desperate for some real good news.

When Jesus stepped onto the stage to begin his ministry, he called people to the good news of God’s kingdom (Mk. 1:14). Did you hear that? Jesus is about good news! The decisive moment God acts on behalf of mankind had come. Salvation was living among them. It was time to turn tone deaf on all the bad news.

Jesus brought good news when the demons met their match. At the time the land was a playground for the demonic world, and they played havoc with people’s lives. But Jesus was a force of good to be reckoned with, and they were unable to stand before him.

Jesus brought good news when the curtain was torn from top to bottom. Everything that separated mankind from God was removed by Jesus. The sin, the guilt and the shame were all erased. When Jesus hung out with the “sinners,” he was not endorsing a lifestyle, he was endorsing life. When Jesus forgave sin, he was showing his salvation purpose: he came to save not to condemn.

Jesus brought good news when he created unity among a dis-unified world. The barriers we tend to erect like status, race, education level, school loyalty, ideology, national loyalty, etc. are irrelevant to Jesus. Instead of looking for a reason to divide, we’re given permission to seek a reason to unite.

Jesus brought good news to the marginalized, the abandoned and the lonely. The woman at the well. Zacchaeus. The woman caught in adultery.  Blind Bartimaeus. The children. The woman anointing Jesus. Levi. All were living on the fringes of society, but welcomed and loved by the Savior. They found a place to belong in Jesus.

Jesus brought good news, but we tend to gravitate to the bad news. We take gospel and turn it into anything but gospel. Jesus instill confidence while we pervert it into fear, fear of failure and fear of hell. Jesus offers a light yoke, but we’ve managed to make it into a heavy burden. We nick-pic the church, its ministries and its members without any self-reflection. At the end of the day we wonder why the church struggles to grow or even maintain a consistent attendance. Maybe what we need to do is return to focusing on the hope of good news.

By focusing on the good news in our churches, we might not write a Grammy award song, but the song we sing will be a song worth singing.  

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorifi

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Land That I Love!

The United States of America holds some of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring sights people could behold. While my favorites have always included the Pacific Northwest, yours could be Glacier National Park, Niagara Falls, Garden of the Gods, Gulf of Mexico or the Kona Coast. Once you catch a glimpse of these places, you almost feel like God has opened a window into heaven where we witness his majesty, or you wonder if the Garden of Eden was anything like what we’ve seen.

But the beautiful, heavenly-like places are in danger as the damage caused by humanity’s careless and calloused footprint threatens its very existence. Trash by campers and hikers ignoring the “Leave No Trace” plea eventually deface the value of the beauty we’re drawn to. Careless and reckless actions, like setting off fireworks in wooded areas or failure to monitor a campfire, has burned forests to the ground. From oil spills to industrial runoff the waterways have been contaminated. The lack of respect shown to the land has continued to devalue the beauty before us.

During the summer of 1987, my brother and I spent the holiday weekend at Alabama Gulf Coast. One of the things I remember the most was the number of glass beer bottles floating in the ocean waters. Was it an accident? Probably not as numerous bottles were floating in the waters. Even thirty plus years later, I can’t get my head wrapped around such indifference to the environment. Why trash the Land that I Love?

I’m not sure I can answer that question, but maybe the physical picture of the “land that I love,” is a reflection of the spiritual element. The land is trashed because our own lives have been trashed. We don’t respect the land before us because we don’t respect ourselves and each other. So we speak with hateful, demeaning and dehumanizing words, while justifying it in the process.

Words matter. They can hurt people or help heal them. They can destroy someone’s confidence or build them up. They can be used either to backstab or to protect one’s backside. They can be like salt water or like fresh water. They can curse our fellow man or glorify God (see Jas. 3:9-12). Words are an expression of our spiritual vitality.

Jesus says that what we say emerges from our hearts (Mk. 7:20-23). Just listen long enough to the words people say to each other. If they are filled with kindness, compassion and generosity then their hearts are pure. If you’re like me, you’ve probably got your fill of the disrespect, vile and demonizing language being not only freely used but also even being rationalized. And the result is the “Land” is devolving into nothing more than a cesspool of our own verbal excrement.

If you find yourself sick of the trash, then it’s time to clean it up. I’m not addressing the “swearing” or “cussing” though we could discuss that too. I’m talking about the cruel way we speak of each other, and about people in general. Stop using such language. Stop believing others are “speaking their minds” when they’re revealing their hearts. Stop buying into the lie that words don’t matter. It’s trashing our society, our community, our churches and destroying the Land that I Love.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

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CHURCH: Who Sets the Agenda?

Churches, like many other organizations, are often plagued by power-struggles. Tension is felt as people wander who’s in control. The struggle is felt when a new minister arrives to assess the congregation before him. The minister must figure out two important dynamics. Who is the formal leadership and who is the informal leadership. The formal leadership are those who hold the titles (elder, deacon, board member, etc.), while the informal leaders are the members who actually make the church run (often times they are the ones with the money or a hard working member). While the focus is on churches, the reality is that every organization has this dynamic at play because it’s human nature.

In order to address the power structure and keep it from turning into a struggle, churches have traditionally chosen different ways to format their organization. The “Pastoral-driven” format gives the minister the power to set the agenda and vision for the church. He may answer to a board, but he’s clearly in charge. Some pastoral churches are actually “Committee-driven,” where the Pastor is a member of every committee. Thus he has a say and influence over every aspect of the church, but is not running the church. Finally, the “Elder-driven” format has a group of spiritually discerning men within the church lead and give direction to the church.

Each of these format holds strengths and weaknesses. Each finds themselves ultimately trapped in a power struggle, they’re trying to avoid, searching for a better model to follow. Maybe the book of Acts can shed light on this dilemma.

By the time we open to the fifteenth chapter of Acts the church is clearly comprised of two ethnic groups. The Jews, who’ve been part of God’s story for 2000 years, and the Gentiles whom God had recently begun grafting into his story. Some of those from the Jewish-Christian group began setting an agenda for the Gentiles to be circumcised in order to be saved (Act. 15:1,5). Suddenly, a power-struggle ensued between this group and Paul (15:2) as power-struggles are never good for the church. When the truth of the Gospel is a casualty in a power-struggle, the church and its credibility loses.  

Everyone wants a voice and say in the direction of the church, but Acts 15 is clear about two facts. First, not everyone has a right to speak into the direction of the church. The ones advocating circumcision were soon confronted and quieted. They were speaking outside of God’s will for his church. In an era of social media and multiple churches with easy access, it’s easy to believe everyone has a voice and say in the direction of the church. Acts 15, and other places, stand against such a position. Not everyone has a right to set the agenda of the church.

However, someone has to give direction to the church. When the leaders met in Jerusalem, Peter, Paul and Barnabas, James and the elders assembled to discuss the issue. When Peter spoke, he described how he was led by God and the Holy Spirit (v. 7-8) to baptize Cornelius without him needing circumcised. Paul and Barnabas shared their experience among the Gentiles, which was underscored by the wonders God performed through them (v. 11). James concluded the meeting by pointing to God’s words through the prophet, Amos (v. 16-18). The theme of God and the Holy Spirit sets the agenda for the church, which is the second fact made clear, not only the book of Acts in general, but Acts 15 in particular.

So God is the one who sets the agenda, and our job is to line up with him.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

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Seeking a Clear Vision

In Mark 8:22-26 Jesus heals a blind man. The short narrative has an interesting twist to it that has confused readers for centuries. In short, Jesus’ healing appears to have failed. In his first attempt to heal the blind man, he can see but everything is blurred (similar to me walking around without my contacts or glasses). Attempting again to heal the blind man leads to the full healing we expected all along.

The seemingly botch healing for Jesus on the first try is disturbing. Did he have a power failure? Did Jesus experience a faith crisis? Was the faith of the blind man responsible for Christ’s inability to heal? Bible students have struggled to understand this healing. But it’s also possible that Mark left a couple of clues to understand this miracle.

The first clue is a second healing of a blind man in Mark 10:46-52. Blind Bartimaeus calls to Jesus by both his personal name and Messianic title, Son of David, and begs for healing. While the crowd tries to quiet the man, Jesus calls for the man to come to him. The request is made for healing and Jesus graciously complies. He heals Bartimaeus just like we expect.

The two blind men stories seem to be bookends to a section where Jesus is traveling from Caesarea Philippi (i.e. a city 55 miles northeast of Galilean territory) to Jerusalem. So the “failed” attempt by Jesus to heal the blind man is placed before Peter’s confession of Jesus in the Gentile city of Caesarea Philippi and the “successful” healing occurs in Jericho before Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Both stories seem to hold this section together and thus need to be read together.

The second clue is contained between the two healing stories. Three times Jesus predicts his crucifixion. In each situation the 12 fail to see what Jesus is saying leading Jesus to reteach the disciples (see Mk. 8:17-38; 9:30-37; 10:32-45).

What is clear is how blurry eyed his 12 disciples are when it comes to the mission of Jesus. Either they push back on his prediction or they’re consumed by their own agendas. Thus, the bookend stories are as much about the disciple’s inability to see spiritually as it is about a blind man unable to see physically. The second healing is the hope for the disciples that their vision for Jesus has been corrected.

Our vision for Jesus osculates between being crystal clear and blurry-eyed; sometimes we see Jesus clearly and other times we’re squinting to make out an image. When we embrace humble service and reject authoritarian power, we see Jesus clearly. When we act through encouragment instead of through criticism, we see Jesus clearly.  When we forgive instead of harbor anger, we see Jesus clearly. When we love and pray for our enemies instead of retaliating against them, we see Jesus clearly. When we are driven by compassion because defining “neighbor” has nothing to do with proximity and location, then we see Jesus clearly. When we speak our words with loving kindness instead of venomous cruelty, we see Jesus clearly. And when we finally see Jesus clearly, the world will see Jesus.  

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

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CHURCH: Living in the Promised Land or Exile?

During the darkest moments of the Great Depression, Albert Bromley penned a hymn that resonated with Christians who found themselves on the victim side of stock market crash. The hymn underscored hope by reminding the church we’re on a journey through this world, and our destination is in the beyond. While the song refrains from saying we’re in Exile, it’s clear we’re not living in the Promised Land either.

The imagery of “Promised Land” and “Exile” are both rooted in Scripture. The Promised Land was the stretch of property guaranteed to Israel at the time of Abraham. Following 400 years of captivity, Moses then Joshua led them in the conquest of the land. For the next 1000 years they tamed the land and built a society governed by the very laws God gave them. Unfortunately, they were not faithful to God and he sent them into Exile. Quickly, they were foreigners in a strange land, held captive against their will. They had no say. They had no power. They had no voice. Whatever laws and customs they brought with them were subject to the laws and customs of their captors. Yes, a few found favor in the government, but they were few and far between.

For those of faith, life in the Promised Land versus life in Exile are two very different experiences. Living in the Promised Land means we’re insiders who fit into society, while living in Exile means we don’t fit in nor really belong. Living in the Promised Land means what we have is permanent, while living in Exile means the conditions are temporary. Living in the Promised Land means we subject the darker forces to a higher power, while living in Exile means we’re subjected to the darker powers. Living in the Promised Land means we own, control and define the culture, while living in Exile means we have little say into controlling and defining culture. Living in the Promised Land means we are in the majority, while living in Exile means we’re part of the minority. Living in the Promised Land is an Old Testament image, while living in Exile is a New Testament image.

The question is which image best describes the church? Are we a church living in the Promised Land or are we a church living in Exile?  In some parts of the world it’s easy to see how the church is in Exile. China keeps a tight rein on churches and Middle-East regions are often antagonistic to the Christian faith. The church in America has felt like we’re living in the Promised Land. We’re guaranteed the right to assemble and to share our faith. We have voting rights. Much of our laws and culture is still rooted in the Christian faith. America is often referred to as a “Christian” nation. Is it possible that it’s all an illusion?

Maybe one of the issues we’re facing today is that we’re trying to live in the Promised Land, and the reality is we’re living in Exile. Peter is the one who reminds us that we are “strangers,” “aliens,” “foreigners,” “refugees,” “temporarily residing,” and “sojourners” (multiple translations from 1 Pet. 1:1) and are encouraged to embrace this role as an “outsider” while living in this world (1 Pet. 2:11). As much as we want to fit in, we don’t. As much as we want to live in the Promised Land, we’re struggle to live in Exile. Maybe the words written in 1936, which resonated with the victims of the Great Depression, still resonate with us because deep down we know we’re living in Exile. 

This world’s not my home, I’m just a passing through;
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue;
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door
and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

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The Aftermath of the Snap! Finding Hope in the People We Lost

To say that the newest Avengers movie, Endgame, is a success might be an understatement. It only took eleven days to reach 2 Billion dollars in the theaters and is tracking only behind Avatar as the highest grossing movie ever. Before long Endgame will be the highest grossing movie ever.

The movie caps a ten year journey comprised of twenty-two movies. We followed the adventures of a core group of individuals with unique (super) powers who were able to stand against threats larger and more powerful than humanity can ward off. Along the way we discovered that one threat, Thanos, an insane being seeking the means to correct over population. He wills to wipe out half of the universe’s population. To accomplish such a mad plot, he locates the six infinity stones of great power, fuses them into a gauntlet and by snapping his finger, half of all life will be wiped out from existence (if you think that’s a crazy scheme, then just know he’s called the “Mad Titan”).

Infinity War was the failed attempt by the Avengers to stop Thanos from carrying out his plan. Endgame is the aftermath of the snap, and it explores how people live with half the world’s population unexpectedly gone.

In a time when we’ve become more and more isolated from each other, when social media has played role in driving us farther and farther apart, and when we feel the need for community less and less, the number one grossing movie ever is about the emptiness of isolation and the need to bring community back together.

Such isolation is felt, when sometime back, I read a report about the state of the bowling community in our society. At the time bowling’s popularity was on the rise. The lanes were full and people really enjoyed the sport. However, bowling leagues were taking a hit. People weren’t committed to a team sport. They loved to bowl as individuals, but not as teammates on weekly basis. Thus, bowling leagues were struggling to fill their rosters.

I’ve felt this in my own life. I’ve seen people drop out of “church” because they can “do church” in their own home and to them it’s more meaningful. I’ve witnessed relationships strained to the point where two people cannot worship in the same building. I’ve seen the Lord’s Supper, a meal underscoring our unity, taken by two people who will not even speak to each other. I know this to be a fact because I’ve been guilty of the same things.

God has always embraced community. He’s described in Scripture as community: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He called Abraham as an individual, then made him a family, a tribe and then finally a nation. He called twelve individuals to follow him and made them his disciples. He established the Church, not a building or an organization but as a body of people who come together in celebration of salvation, to encourage each other and to hold one another accountable in our commitment to God. We need each other.

The number one grossing movie of all time explores the loss we feel when the community has vanished, and the need to have those people in our lives (I wonder just how intentional that plot-line was to the writers of the film?). I’m hoping that the emptiness, loneliness and isolation felt in that movie translates into a society seeking community once again. I’m hoping people start seeking church again.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. ony God is glorified!)

(i.

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A Field for Dreams: If Built Will They Still Come?

“ … you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house …” (1 Pet. 2:5).

The baseball diamond sitting in the Iowa corn fields is almost as iconic as the tagline for the movie, “If you build it, they will come.” Ray Kinsella, a failing farmer, heard voices telling him to convert his farmlands into a playground. They said he was crazy. They accused him of being nuts. Had he been in the sun too long? But he built it and they came. First, a slew of blackballed baseball players from the great beyond, or simply within the cornfields, emerged to play on Ray’s field. Then, at the end of the movie, a throng of spectators came to pay good money to watch these guys play America’s favorite pastime.

It wasn’t heaven. It was Iowa.

God is in the midst of a construction process. He’s not converting corn fields into baseball fields, he’s converting damaged people into a great house. He’s developing an organization, he’s creating an organism. He’s not building buildings, he’s building a kingdom one person at a time. In the process he’s hoping they’ll come . . . to him.  

I love church. I’ve spent my entire life streaming in the lifeblood of church, and I’ve given my adult years to preaching in a local church. I wish building a church was as easy as converting cornfields into baseball fields. But like baseball, American churches are losing the ratings battle and under fire. Sundays stand in direct competition with so many other extra-curricular activities. It’s hard to choose church over a weekend at the lake, isn’t it? It’s hard to prioritize church when we’re worn out from a long week. It’s hard to prop church up as the best event of the week, when it’s clearly not. But I still love church.

When God builds his church, we can find a number of purposes or functions for the construction. First, he’s providing a community linked to the present and to the past. His church has been in play for 2000 years and when we gather we connect with the saints of old while we live in the modern world. We also connect with saints present and not present. When Sunshine’s group heads to Honduras, our gathering will be connected to their gathering, though in two different nations. We have each other. Church, and more specifically Christianity, was never meant to be an individual experience, but lived out in community.

Secondly, the church provides the means to express and nurture faith. When we assemble we have the greatest opportunity to vocalize our confession and beliefs. Our songs and prayers announce our trust in God. Partaking of the Supper visually represents our commitment to the Savior and to each other. With churches come multi-generational layers so that the old may stand with the young. Old folks get to witness the enthusiasm and hope of the young, while the youth get to enjoy the deep streams of faithful living. Like sharpening iron, bringing old and young together makes us sharper, not duller.

Finally, the church is where God is glorified (Eph. 3:21). Our works are conducted, not to boost our name in the community, but to boost God’s name. The world is looking for God, and his church gives the world some of the best evidence for God’s presence. So when God transforms people we don’t take the credit, but credit him for the work he’s doing in our lives.

When the church is at its best, people will look for God in church. But the loyal community, the environment for faith to grow and where God is truly glorified must be in place. Only then will people ask us, “Is this heaven?” We can humbly say, “No. It’s just church.”

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)