54. A Living Interpretation

I have been in kind of a funk about being a Christian, of going church, and of all things religious.  Not so much about being a Christian, but more my involvement with a church.  I have my rationale keenly laid out, including a biblical basis for my desire to remain in bed cuddling my wife.  But, this morning as in other mornings I drag myself out of bed, and get ready and go.

          It is not my desire to hear questionable music.  In fact today I was kind of put off by the lyrics of one of the songs.  Sort of reminded me of my idea of Vampires for Christ – Imagine two of those showing up at your door to tell you what Jesus did for them?  Would you invite them in for coffee?

          Nor is it my enjoyment of fact checking Pastor Dan as he teaches.  Although I do like the humility in which the message is delivered, and that it is the grace and love of our Lord that is consistently taught from the bar table – we have a bar table not a pulpit. 

          There are a number of people that I want to see – they are boons to my soul.  There are also people that if the good Lord decided he should call them back home – well.  And there are others that I am most neutral about.

          I am reminded that Jesus at one point says that he has come to pit father against son.  In the letter of 1 Corinthians, Paul writes that he expects that we will have conflict amongst us.  Now I don’t think we are called to have fist fights in the aisles, but we are called to live in relation to God, and to express that experience.  We are called to honour the leading of the Holy Spirit – which cannot help but lead us differently, for you are not me, and I am not you.

          Even when not in conflict with each other, we are not called to be similar - For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.

         

I hate that.  The idiot, who will remain truly anonymous, that feels that the chairs have a particular way to be set up, has just as much as a place as I do.  I want God to agree with me.  He doesn’t, in fact God says let the one with the meticulous nature set up the chairs – in fact let the picky geek tell you DREW where to put the chairs.

          But there is something splendid going on.  When I am not obsessed with that it doesn’t matter where the chairs should go, or whether the coffee is strong enough, or if the music seems creepy, or any of the multitude of other things I can get fixated on, there is a miracle that is happening.  God is showing himself to us – to me – through each other.

          It gets better than that – I am being a living interpretation, an expression of God’s grace, to another person.  So is the person that doesn’t want the chairs to go there.  So are the others that I might not particularly like or appreciate. 

          God, and more specifically the experience of him, is so expansive that no one person can embody, or understand, or bear witness to all of God is.  And in fact, I believe that how my relationship with God works out in my life has to be different than how God works out his salvation in your life.  It struck me today, as I looked upon those who I find encouragement from that I might just be that for other people. 

The Apostle Peter tells me, “Quietly trust yourself to Christ your Lord, and if anybody asks why you believe as you do, be ready to tell him, and do it in a gentle and respectful way.” (1 Peter 3;15 Living Bible).  Our role, our participation in Church is to be more than an added voice to gospel songs sung, and more than an additional set of ears to hear the message.  I believe we are called to minister to each other, that I am called to minister to some, not all, for not all are like me.  That I am called to explain why I believe what I do, and to do so gently and respectfully.

So....just in case you know a chubby middle aged man who is kind of socially phobic that has a thriving skeptical view of the bible, church and God, I know someone who is an expression of grace that they can come to know; I can be found most Sunday mornings in church.