Why can’t our brilliant governments figure this out?
What is Blog Action Day:
Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.
I’m in, Are You?
I was driving around in the loader the yesterday and was thinking about the church in North America. I was wondering if Jesus was alive if he would attend the church that I attend. I then that about what a church that Jesus would attend would look like. Both of those thoughts were just that, thoughts. But when I go home from work there was a message for me to call my mom, who has been reading the book of Amos and read me a few verses. I was amazed at the relevance of the verses that she read to my thoughts earlier in the day. Here are the verses from Amos 5:21-27 (from the Message):
“I can’t stand your religious meetings.
I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions.
I want nothing to do with your religious projects,
your pretentious slogans and goals.
I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes,
your public relations and image making.
I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music.
When was the last time you sang to me?
Do you know what I want?
I want justice–oceans of it.
I want fairness–rivers of it.
That’s what I want. That’s all I want.“Didn’t you, dear family of Israel, worship me faithfully for forty years in the wilderness, bringing the sacrifices and offerings I commanded?
How is it you’ve stooped to dragging gimcrack statues of your so-called rulers around, hauling the cheap images of all your star-gods here and there?
Since you like them so much, you can take them with you when I drive you into exile beyond Damascus.” GOD’S Message, God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
As I read these verses, I couldn’t get over how church today has not changed in thousands of years. I have said to Simone many times that I wish we would sing songs that are actual worship songs. Next time your in church listen and think about the words that you are singing, how many of the songs are about “ME?”
I think this is self explanatory. What kind of church would Jesus attend? A church where he is the center of everything, and where people are there to meet with Him. It has nothing to do with a building, the media department, the worship team or choir or any of our many programs. It doesn’t have to be polished, perfect, or programmed.
Jesus wants to be part of a church where people worship, “in spirit and in truth!” Where he is the center, where people are singing because there hearts are full of love and thanksgiving for what He has done for them. Where giving is from the heart and not coerced, or to buy the most comfy pews. Where social justice is key, where the community is constantly at the forefront.
Let me start with the Love Christmas part. I love Christmas. The whole true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus to come and save me from the sins that I commit everyday. I love the story of awe and bewilderment of a teenage couple being told by angels that they would be the parents of the Son of God. I love the story of Jesus humble entrance into this world, the fact that he could have made the most stunning entrance and yet, He enter the earth in one of the messiest ways possible.Yes there is lots to love about Christmas. The songs, the sense of community that happens around Christmas. Even wars have been put on hold for this one important day. It was by far and the most important day in the history of man kind, followed by the death of Christ. But this is where I begin to hate Christmas. You see no matter how much as Christians we say we know the true meaning of Christmas, I don’t think we do.We sit in our nice, not so nice, even palatial, well lit, heated, homes around a table piled high with, chocolates, candy, baking, turkey and a multitude of other food and drink and look at our Christmas trees around which are surrounded by stacks and stacks of gifts. We spend day, weeks and even some of us, months ahead of time planning and spending for one day.I must say that my family is no different we have spent and ate our fair share this Christmas. But like at no other time in my life as I sat around the Christmas tree and watched my children open their gifts I was sick to my stomach. And later as we gathered around the table to gorge ourselves on turkey, ham and all the trimmings I felt even worse. I began to wonder to myself What would Jesus think about Christmas?”Now I am not claiming to know what Jesus would actually think, but I think that he may be a little sick as well. I am not sure that he would be there around our trees, or our dinner tables. I am not sure that he would be sitting in our churches during our Christmas Eve services timed so the family can get in and out and home to the really purpose of the day, opening presents. What would he think about our giving into 4 of the 7 deadly sins:
Again I love Christmas, but I am sad that as a Christian I have allowed the true meaning of Christmas to escape my family. I am sorry that instead of dwelling on the miracle of the virgin birth, and what it means, I have allowed it to be just a story that we read quickly before we begin opening our gifts.Sorry God, for not celebrating your Sons birthday in the way that he is due.