Day 124: Change that Saves

"But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation."  Hebrews 9:11

This is a message that is so pertinent to today, especially for those who wish to see the Church continue to grow.

To start, this passage refers specifically to the new tabernacle that Jesus brings about with his coming to earth.  He instituted something that was drastically different: one sacrifice for all eternity, a complete forgiveness of sin, love of God.  That's quite a change from the older Mosaic tabernacle, but it was necessary for the spreading of the Gospel.

Today, there are many churches that are dying everywhere, and those congregations are turning to many different consultants from different places.  Some are even looking to consultants for large businesses so that they can make the best business decisions.  But, I would say that there is a fundamental issue: we hold onto our old customs, even if they do lead us straight to complete failure.

We want to be comfortable.  We know that things that have sustained us for long stretches of time should still work.  At the very least, those things are comfortable.  When I was a little kid, I loved eating fried foods as my main source of food.  However, over time, I gained lots of weight because of my decisions, and, even more recently, I'm finding that fried foods make my stomach upset for quite a long time after enjoying.  Yet, I want to be able to eat them because they are so good!

I am sure that we all have issues that we could talk about.  Maybe you can't run as far as you used to.  Maybe you shouldn't see that one ex lover who used to be great in the past but now only serves as a temptation to you.  Maybe you can't sit in front of the TV all day because of the threat of debilitating weight complications.

We need this same sort of mentality with our churches.  The churches are not ours; they are God's.  As such, we need to remember to listen for God's advice on all matters.  That might mean that you will have to start playing different music.  That might mean that you will have to incorporate more modern language, or even an entirely different language.  That also might mean that you will have to dissolve a community and embrace another.  I cannot speak for every church that is out there, but I do know that there are always difficult decisions to be made.  And that's where we need to start remembering what Jesus has done.

Jesus has come into the world to bring us all closer to God via change.  Jesus wants to change us all for the better.  That means that we need to be going back to God every chance that we get (which is, of course, all the time).  Jesus is showing all of the good things that are in existence.  Most of all, we need to remember that Jesus is going to be working in our communities, even when that means that our hand prints will be supplanted by his.

When we allow for Jesus to renew us, we will be able to change for the better.  We need to open up our arms that were once crossed in front of us so that we can welcome Christ's embrace.

Day 044: Outreach

"And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'"  Matthew 25:40

This parable reminds me of one of my favorite church songs, "Pequeñas Aclaraciones," which has the refrain, "Va Dios mismo en nuestro mismo caminar." (God himself walks alongside us)

I feel that Lent is a season where we can really explore this idea of God, because God is always around us, whether we're aware of it or not.  Lent is a time for us to reach out our hands to the many different outstretched hands that God shows us along our way.

Jesus teaches us, in this parable, that we cannot just believe with our lips.  We can't just call ourselves Christians without living a life in Christ.  In the same way, we can't say we're students if we're not studying in school.  If we don't do the assignments and tests and requirements for school, we won't get the degree.  If we don't work diligently in our jobs, we won't get our paycheck, let alone keep the job.  So why does being a Christian have to be any different?

All throughout the Bible, we can see examples of people who didn't seem like they were right for the job, but who worked very hard to accomplish what God needed to have happen.  Moses had trouble speaking in public, but strove to make it work and sought the right kind of help.  Jeremiah was afraid to prophesy because he was young, but he continued to work.  Paul persecuted the early Christians, but he had a change of heart and continued to work out a new theology out of his own understanding.

To follow Christ means to work for him.  We can't just sit around, posting about how holy our lives are on Facebook or proclaiming to all our friends that we are righteous beings.  We need to be out there, helping out the less fortunate, loving those who are outcast, spreading the Gospel to all those who may never have heard it before.  We need to go around the mansion that was built for us by the long line of saints before us and make sure that everything is tidy.