Feb. 20, 2007
Ruined for the Ordinary
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or... Can our pastor live 2000 miles away? If my husband died tomorrow, I'm not sure who would perform the service. Sometimes I wonder if my children will ever be baptized. I certainly question whether I'll ever send them to "church camp", ('course that requires its own explanation). The reason? Because besides our own living room, our family cannot find a place to "go to church". Believe me, we've tried, at least I like to think we have. But the reality is, for the last three years, our worship music is provided by Rhapsody, our community from friends with a few attempts at structure, service opportunities through our local home-school co-op, teaching from a few specific authors and lately, Mars Hill downloads and Nooma videos. Yet, we still long for a place to become our spiritual home. The largest church in our county is seeker-sensitive. Many of our friends attend. We decided at the beginning of 2007 to go six times in a row, give it our best shot. We enjoyed the worship (such as it was--SS churches call it singing), drama, the many places to "plug in". Two out of our three children liked it. So what's the problem? Well, maybe struggling theologically with the seeker-sensitive model has something to do with it. Many Sundays I doubt our family will ever be involved with a traditional church again. So much changed for us when the church of our 20s (yes, our entire 20s... the one we married in, dedicated our sons in) fell apart. We no longer accept that those "in the ministry" are working harder for God than the rest of us. We wait for a church to lay hands on and commission the business men and women lawyers, not just the new youth pastors. We no longer believe the goal for Christians is to make friends with non-Christians for the purpose of inviting them to "Seeker Sunday" and get them in the church building. We wait for a leadership that will equip and train us to serve others during the other six days. We no longer sit under teachers who tell us what we should be doing, but keeps our understanding of God small. We need Sundays to expand our view of him, not ourselves or a moral gospel. So many Christians criticize other Christians who church shop. "Stop Dating the Church" a familiar author (in our circles) cries. We really are the cruelest to each other. To the church at large, we are divorcees who struggle with our sexual orientation and hang out with the tax collectors and sinners...not always to be like Jesus sometimes, but just to have a drink with them. There is no easy answer. The closest we've found to finding a home is a place this technological world allows us to connect with 2000 miles away. But I don't think he'll perform my children's weddings. |
Comments
Mar. 3, 2007 - HUGS!!
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