Today’s Readings: Psalm 116; Exodus 12:40-51; Luke 12:32-48; Romans 11:29-36; Psalm 112
As most folks realize, things have shifted dramatically for Christian faith communities over the last several years. That’s because for most of the Twentieth Century, we lived in a time known as the Christian period. During this period, Christianity enjoyed a special status or privilege within our society. This meant, for instance, that during the month of December schools held Christmas pageants rather than winter pageants; public gatherings were opened with prayers that ended with the words “…in Jesus’ name”; and political candidates were expected to openly talk about their Christian faith in order to win an election. One of the benefits of the Christian period for local churches was that they didn’t have to work very hard in order to draw members; they simply opened their doors and people flocked in. Over the latter part of the Twentieth Century, however, this place of power and privilege disappeared to the point that we are now living in a period that many call the Post-Christian period. There are many in the Christian community who decry this shift. I don’t. For as I’ve said in many of my earlier postings, I think the Christian movement tends to lose its way when it becomes associated with power and privilege. So what clues do we have for how to live into this post-Christian era? Well, there’s one embedded in today’s Gospel reading for Luke. In order to identify it though I need to put Jesus’ words in a different context. You see when most folks read the words attributed to Jesus (i.e. “The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being”) they interpret them solely in a literal way. They understand "treasure" as those things that diminish people’s faith in God. If someone's treasure is money, for instance, he or she will build his or her life around the pursuit of money; if someone's treasure is self-gratification, she or he will build her or his life around seeking self-gratification. That thinking certainly makes sense because that’s what Jesus was saying at the time. I believe there is another way of experiencing Jesus’ words 2,000 years later, however, that can give Christian faith communities guidance during these tumultuous post-Christian days. My new way of experiencing Jesus’ words is predicated on seeing the word "treasure" differently – not as something that diminishes one’s faith but rather as something that deepens one’s faith. Let me explain. As I noted earlier, churches in the Christian period never had to consider whether or not the things they were doing were meeting the needs of members. That’s because it really didn’t matter. People would still come regardless of the effectiveness of the ministry. In the post-Christian period, however, it is essential that a faith community meet the needs of its members. If you don’t meet those needs, people will no longer come. So what are the needs? In my experience people’s needs lie where their treasure lies – the place that allows them to get in touch with their spiritual gifts and their call! If a faith community can work with folks to help them discover where their treasure lies and then put that treasure within the context of their faith, they can create a powerful ministry built not on obligation and duty but on transformation and hope. And after all, isn’t that what we are all about: transformation and hope?! We can create faith communities that are places where people “most want to be”. Today I would invite you to take some time and ask yourself, “Where does my treasure lie?” Once you answer that question, start thinking about how you can locate that treasure within the realm of your spiritual life in order to take your relationship with God to new heights! Til next time…
As most folks realize, things have shifted dramatically for Christian faith communities over the last several years. That’s because for most of the Twentieth Century, we lived in a time known as the Christian period. During this period, Christianity enjoyed a special status or privilege within our society. This meant, for instance, that during the month of December schools held Christmas pageants rather than winter pageants; public gatherings were opened with prayers that ended with the words “…in Jesus’ name”; and political candidates were expected to openly talk about their Christian faith in order to win an election. One of the benefits of the Christian period for local churches was that they didn’t have to work very hard in order to draw members; they simply opened their doors and people flocked in. Over the latter part of the Twentieth Century, however, this place of power and privilege disappeared to the point that we are now living in a period that many call the Post-Christian period. There are many in the Christian community who decry this shift. I don’t. For as I’ve said in many of my earlier postings, I think the Christian movement tends to lose its way when it becomes associated with power and privilege. So what clues do we have for how to live into this post-Christian era? Well, there’s one embedded in today’s Gospel reading for Luke. In order to identify it though I need to put Jesus’ words in a different context. You see when most folks read the words attributed to Jesus (i.e. “The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being”) they interpret them solely in a literal way. They understand "treasure" as those things that diminish people’s faith in God. If someone's treasure is money, for instance, he or she will build his or her life around the pursuit of money; if someone's treasure is self-gratification, she or he will build her or his life around seeking self-gratification. That thinking certainly makes sense because that’s what Jesus was saying at the time. I believe there is another way of experiencing Jesus’ words 2,000 years later, however, that can give Christian faith communities guidance during these tumultuous post-Christian days. My new way of experiencing Jesus’ words is predicated on seeing the word "treasure" differently – not as something that diminishes one’s faith but rather as something that deepens one’s faith. Let me explain. As I noted earlier, churches in the Christian period never had to consider whether or not the things they were doing were meeting the needs of members. That’s because it really didn’t matter. People would still come regardless of the effectiveness of the ministry. In the post-Christian period, however, it is essential that a faith community meet the needs of its members. If you don’t meet those needs, people will no longer come. So what are the needs? In my experience people’s needs lie where their treasure lies – the place that allows them to get in touch with their spiritual gifts and their call! If a faith community can work with folks to help them discover where their treasure lies and then put that treasure within the context of their faith, they can create a powerful ministry built not on obligation and duty but on transformation and hope. And after all, isn’t that what we are all about: transformation and hope?! We can create faith communities that are places where people “most want to be”. Today I would invite you to take some time and ask yourself, “Where does my treasure lie?” Once you answer that question, start thinking about how you can locate that treasure within the realm of your spiritual life in order to take your relationship with God to new heights! Til next time…
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