| Despair or Doubt or Either...? |
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April, 2008 Personally I look forward to getting the kids bikes out of the now-cluttered basement and finally teaching my daughter the skill of riding without the safety net of training wheels. Beyond this, I anticipate the freedom of speaking with neighbors and generally leaving the house for any reason other than shoveling the driveway. Spring is the time of year that we can see and experience a taste of freedom. The boundaries of our house will no longer contain us, at least for a season. This freedom, breaking free of the shackles that bind us, is ultimately what Springtime provides those of us who live in New England. Mary and the other women were the first to break free from the fortress of the disciple’s hideout after the crucifixion. “Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb.” They went as spectators to put spices on the Lord’s body without much forethought (“who will roll away the stone for us?”) and without much hope. Yet after seeing the empty tomb they left as inquirers, and even as doubters. Thomas was not the only one with significant questions that morning. Winter tends to be a time in which many of us retreat into isolation – living vicariously through the television, books, or the internet. And invariably when taken away from the ebbs and flows of community we tend to backpedal into despair or depression. After all, who among us can handle the weight of life and even of death alone? It is too heavy a burden to carry in isolation. But there is an enormous difference between despair and doubt. Despair makes no room for a different future, while doubting accepts the possibility of the new by asking questions of it. Mother Theresa wrote in her recently published diaries the following: “The more I want [God], the less I am wanted … Such deep longing for God – and … repulsed, empty, no faith, no love, no zeal. [The saving of] souls holds no attraction. Heaven means nothing. Pray for me please that I keep smiling at Him in spite of everything.” She is preceded by many in the Scriptures who wrestled with doubt. Job, in the midst of his suffering said, “If I called and he answered me, I could not believe that he was listening to my voice. For he bruises me with a tempest and multiplies my wounds without cause.” Jeremiah told God he had been deceived. And of course Thomas has picked up a nickname of “Doubting”. For the follower of Jesus, an encounter with the reality of Easter, the reality of an empty grave changes our despair to hope, or at a minimum to doubts. “What if…” is the question we are forced to address and it brings us out of isolation and into God’s community as we ponder God’s kind of life together. We may be experiencing a harsh winterish kind of life, but our hopes and our future do not rest upon the circumstances around us. Rather, they rest in a Person who said “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."
Spring reminds us of projects and baseball, but it also points us to the freedom Christ has given us to embrace a new kind of life. His resurrection emphasizes the reality of the yet to come. This earth is not our final home. This world is not all there is. Our life lived here is in preparation for the life He offers in His Kingdom. You may have doubts, but they are the fodder from which faith arises. Embrace your new found Springtime freedom and choose to leave your despair behind as we are reminded of the truth that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. That is what your heart truly longs for.
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I admit it. My Sundays are confused at times. Now, I know the
grand purpose behind God’s gift of a Sabbath rest for His
people. And I am committed to one day a week that looks
different and is offered up to God so that His presence can
penetrate and orient the other 6 days. I get it. But what does
that look like? I mean have you ever struggled with going to a
restaurant and making others work for you on a Sunday? Or is
football spiritual enough for a Sabbath activity (… I hope I
know the answer to that!)? And what about the struggle to reign
in kids activities that are now unabashedly scheduled 24-7
including the day that is supposed to be set aside for church?
I mean, if I’m real about it, just even asking these questions
makes me feel like a trout flopping around on the river’s edge.
It seems out of place in the world I live in. But these are certainly important questions for Jesus’ church to be asking, aren't they? At least it used to be considered pretty important. There is, however, another Sunday question that needs to be asked and is a priority to answer for us at the First Congregational Church of Barrington. Why do we have a worship service every Sunday morning? Before you scoff at the question as silly, consider the variety of answers that you could offer: God told us to; fellowship; singing worship songs; hearing the Word; giving my money to the church; if we don’t we would be a very weird church; it helps change my behavior; the preaching is Which of these is on target? All of them? Some of them? It is a good time in our God-given life together to answer this core Sunday question. And perhaps we can summarize the grand purpose of our Sunday mornings in this way: The purpose of the worship service is to inspire people to become fully developing followers of Christ as we engage in worship together. Our goal is that at the end of the service we may close our car doors and be ready to engage another week of intentional faith-pursuit centered in pursuing Jesus Christ. Very rarely will a sermon end up in life adjustments by itself. In fact, left in isolation, a sermon is too often rated by its entertainment value. We are good consumers aren’t we! But without a doubt, after we encounter God’s Word we should be fired up to pursue life changes as we gather in discipleship groups throughout the week. The purposeful small groups happening throughout FCCB are where transformation takes place. But it is Sunday morning where we should be inspired to pursue spiritual transformation through the singing, the giving, the hearing, and the shared position at the foot of Jesus’ cross. One vital and important piece of the Christian’s life is not primarily satisfied on a Sunday morning: Fellowship. When we have over 100 people together, how can true fellowship happen? We can’t know each other well in that group setting. And, as I hope is the case, if Sunday is an environment where we would expect to invite others there is another element that prevents intimacy. But that is okay if a primary place exists for relationships to be pursued. That piece is in the Elder’s hopper and we hope to move ahead with it next year. So stay tuned for “Life Journey Groups” and don’t be frustrated if you find Sunday mornings are not great for relationship building. We are working on it! And, in the meantime, I truly hope that we are becoming aware of our need to be transformed, to be changed, to be moving on our journeys as we engage with one another developing habits of time and space to meet with God through our Follow Me groups. And come on Sunday expecting to leave encouraged to pursue these changes – even as you watch the Patriots with your kids or a neighbor. |
| A DEFINITION OF A DISCIPLE |
| Coming Soon |
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