Continuing to share letters that I have either written or would write in hopes that you'll see more of my heart and have more thought provocation where our faith journey is concerned.
Dear Friend,
I've been reading your note and giving it a lot of prayerful thought. Thanks for sharing so openly with me.
I think I agree with your concern that 'religion simply gets in the way of people's relationship with Jesus'. I have seen it happen where Christians become so enamored with their religious practices, or so ensconced in their religious perspectives, that they lose sight of the object of their religion - Jesus.
The part of your note where you say 'people use religion to separate themselves for everyone else' - again, I think you've hit the nail. My heart hurts looking at my own past where I see a tendency to have viewed the world through the lens of 'us' versus 'them' - in other words, those who think, act, and believe like me, and those who don't. And, from that perspective it is easy to fall into the error of thinking we are entirely right and the rest of the world are backwards heathens - when in fact, we're all the human beings who 'bear the image of our God'.
However (you had to know a 'but' or a 'however' was coming), as I've been thinking on these things I am wishing I could convince you not to throw the baby out with the bath-water. Jesus, Himself, recognized the importance of religious observances and participated in them. You find him in the gospels observing the feasts and festivals, attending worship services in the temple, and even committing to His followers practices of religious nature (spiritual disciplines, the Lord's Supper, baptism, and so forth). We also see that while Jesus did - and I couldn't agree with you more about this, by the way - DID in fact move among the outcasts and those whom the religious establishment neglected, He also saw the benefit of community, and much of His ministry involved His fellowship with His disciples and even birthing the church - or community of His followers - to continue His ministry after He ascended into heaven. I think there is benefit in our religious practices if we approach them with the right heart. Look at the examples in the Bible. Think of those places where God told His people essentially "I am tired of all your empty religious practices, because your heart is far from me" like in Isaiah 1 or Malachi, for instance. It wasn't the practice that wearied God - He was the one who told the people to do those things. It was the manner of their hearts in 'going thru the motions'.
On the 'us' and 'them' thing - You're right. I think it's a blight on Christ when the church acts like this. As I said, I am ashamed to have been there myself in the past. Yet (here I go again), I think your and my decision to stay in that community, the church, is vitally important, because we can be agents of change. We can live the way we believe God calls us to live, reaching out, accepting, loving, and living in such a way that testifies to the love of our Savior. If we were to walk away - why, look at this! Then we've accomplished exactly what we're denouncing. We've made it an issue of 'us' versus 'them'. The body of Christ is not perfect. In fact, it can be downright ugly at times. But it is the body of Christ. He is the Head. And you and I were set into this body. I think the body needs you. I think if you walk away, a cricual part is missing. I don't always know where and how you and I fit, but I know God wrote us into His story.
I don't know. I'm still prayerfully thinking about all that you've said. Thank you that our dialog can be ongoing. I look forward to hearing how the Lord is impressing more on your heart on these matters. Know that I love you in our Lord, and pray for you often. I am thankful to know that you are praying for me also. One day, we'll sit on the other side and smile about these conversations that cause us tears and heartache today - because our Lord is sweet, even when His people fail to live up to His sweetness.
Much love in Christ to you and my friends there with you.
Technorati Tags: Interactive Sermon, Church, Religion, Christianity, Jesus
A mind is a terrible thing to taste. But a taco...
Recent Comments