In a moment, as a movement, we have abandoned our power.
In a world of color, we have blanched, faded, and folded. Unless, that is, we can answer the age old question of “why”, we will become void, an entity of no value.
This time, the question at the end of the “why” is not “…am I here?”! Rather, it is “why do I go?”
Go where? Work? That’s obvious, to collect the participation trophy at the end of the week and enjoy the weekend.
Go where then? The answer is, to church. Why do I, why do we, go to church?
We file in like drones, sitting in rows like clones, we sit there staring, pretending to listen. What are we actually hearing?
We have our bibles on our phones so we can pretend to be following along when we’re really following the feed…we gaze and graze on whatever is streaming, when in reality, the life and live event is being presented in front of us. Yet we’re nowhere close to being present.
When it’s done, we file back out to our cars and wonder why nothing changes. Our hearts may burn for a moment when our ears catch a shortcoming, a longing or desire, a guttural flutter, a momentary gnawing of why…what did he just say?
The former moments of engagement have succumbed once again to estrangement.
Again I am left wondering why…?
We’re given words of wisdom on how to get to Heaven when we die, how to be moral, how to run faster and try harder. But in the end what do they produce? Is a yield present, can it be found in our abundance? Or are we simply indulging a primal need for acceptance and belonging?
Has the rhetoric been reduced to dictation, or perhaps an incantation. Does it serve the greater inner need?
Is there more for us in this hour of unrest?
Are we looking to check the box and say “I did my best!” Did you really? Were you really there? That’s not fair one may say, I ask, did you feast or simply graze off your feed?
We have come so far from shore we’re not even sure why we go. We say the right thing, and we might sing along, if we know the song.
How can we be Christ to the world when we don’t know who we are or why we’re there? How do we recharge and reclaim? Be engaged rather than estranged? That, my friends is where you come in! Answer the question of why? What is your real reason, not the platitude “To worship God”.
How is sitting in a pew listening to a skew of words and grazing on the feed – worship worthy?
Single Slice of Cheese 
Reblogged this on God does reassemble shattered pieces.
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The way services are run these days, it is hard to “be the church” on Sunday morning. The gathering is just a concert and seminar. It’s about premiering your few “select” singers and the message is – same song different title. The service doesn’t meet any need other than entertainment for those who like singing or a feel good speech about how much better we are than those “sinners.” I would like to see church leaders stop acting as if gathering was the main thing. You gather to do what? What is being done?
I can do the whole Sunday morning show and barely talk to anyone, much less pray with them, encourage them or meet their needs. But that isn’t what Christ called me to do so I do my service to him all week long with feeding people and trying to be a blessing to others.
At this point in my life, I have found that going to Sunday school is not an overly academic, “show off what you know” gathering of lay pontificators. We pray, share, have time to connect face to face, learn a little, know when the others are struggling and act like we’re going to help. That’s usually as far as it goes!
We need to encourage church leaders be how Christ desires the church to be.
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