I saw this quote and thought it was the funniest thing I had heard in awhile…but then after a few minutes, I re-thought my thinking and came away with the idea that it was maybe the saddest thing I had heard in awhile. The quote came from Billy Sunday and it went "Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile."
Please make note that I am NOT poo-pooing about going to church. Instead I’m speaking about those who unequivocally think that showing up to a building on Sunday mornings, then sleepwalking through a sermon to turn around and come home thinking they have done their weekly duty are better than those who choose to open God’s word and LIVE out the meaning of what they read. That sanctimonious (feigning piety/righteousness) viewpoint has been tried out on me and I’m having none of it. Church is a building with four walls. Instead I’m of the mindset of church being a community of believers and whether that community is of singular or plural dimensions, I believe that Jesus will meet you where you are as long as your heart is open/available and seeking His. Church is about being fed. Interestingly I googled how many times Jesus mentioned the word church in the Bible and the number was one (but still counting). And yet, it is stated that whenever two or more are gathered in His name, then Jesus is in the midst of them! Ah…..didn’t see walls as a prerequisite there, did you?
With all that said, I’m not trying to make being lazy about one’s relationship with God an easy out for those who are spiritually seeking. I’ve been on the lazy end of things for much too long in my life. Being too busy isn’t an answer to put God at the bottom of your to do list either…..and I’ve done that as well. This is a tricky blog for me to write, because I don’t want to misdirect anyone’s footsteps in their journey to understand God. There is a huge responsibility associated with this journey and that is one I am not quite up to speed in adequately portraying. The thing is though, far too many people have the idea that showing up to a building on a given day of the week is the end of that responsibility and they then judge those who don’t even make that attempt. What they are missing is that God is the judge….not them!
Why does man "mandate" that we follow a prescribed set of rules? Just this morning I was reading in Luke 6:6-9 (my paraphrase) as Jesus, on a Sabbath day sees a man with a withered hand and asks the man to stand amongst the Pharisees. He then heals the man’s withered hand and the Pharisees become irate. Jesus then asks them, is it unlawful or incorrect to do "good" on the Sabbath? The Sabbath is supposed to be that day of rest, where one doesn’t "work." And that is a whole other blog for another day. The point I was trying to get at, is that the Pharisees (the religious leaders of that day) were all about enforcing the rules of religion, so much so that they would deny saving someone’s life (or as my bible stated – denying someone something if they would derive an advantage from it.)
Recently I’ve become so much more aware of the mandates people impose on one another. We are so bound up in our schedules we need laxatives to allow ourselves the time to relax. And all puns are intended in my saying that! Good grief!
I am not speaking about irresponsibility; but I’ve reached the threshold of trying to juggle too much of life at one time. It just keeps coming at me, faster than I, in my own power can possibly deal with. This is a lesson in faith for me. You see, it is in my weakness that God can show HIS power. As long as I am in control, He will allow me to believe that I can do it all. For awhile it seemed as if I was doing quite well, but when the storms of life started showing up at my door, I quickly became aware of just how unprepared I was! And if you think admitting that was easy, let me assure you that it wasn’t, but pride no longer stands in my way, especially if in sharing these little nuggets helps someone else! No don’t read that as false piety, I truly want people to relate to life in a real way, but also to realize that even in times of aloneness, with God we are never abandoned. I don’t want someone to have suffered the sting of sanctimony and felt rejected and think that God isn’t there for them because they haven’t stepped foot into a "building." This is a misconception of great proportion. It was even uttered by one of my own family members in regard to my husband’s health. Let me reiterate this point. The act of going to church does not atone for the event occurring IF the follow through isn’t pointed in the same direction. If you need that in sports terms…..shooting a basketball at a goal won’t land the ball in the basket if at the end of the shot your hands aren’t pointed to the goal. And with that said, just because you go to church and you try to clean up your act, won’t make whatever the event go in your desired direction. Each of our lives has been planned by God. Whether or not we live by His plan, we have all been given a prescribed number of days. It is our choice in how we live those days. What choices have you made?
Free will was God’s gift to us. He didn’t "mandate" that we follow HIS way, but HIS way is the way that gives us the best of the best. Unfortunately too many of us find this out too late. We snicker and sneer at those who choose His way rather than going for the gusto of self-absorption. Personally, as I said to a friend this weekend, I’m tired of the mandate of agendas. I don’t want to think, feel, nor have to do anything at any given moment. Instead, and not irresponsibly, I want to allow myself to live in the moment trusting that I will be directed and able to enjoy the moment at hand. It is so freeing to let control go. In opening my hand to release my control, I can then accept the hand of the one who seeks to take me on the rest of the journey of my life.
Looking up!
Barb
Please make note that I am NOT poo-pooing about going to church. Instead I’m speaking about those who unequivocally think that showing up to a building on Sunday mornings, then sleepwalking through a sermon to turn around and come home thinking they have done their weekly duty are better than those who choose to open God’s word and LIVE out the meaning of what they read. That sanctimonious (feigning piety/righteousness) viewpoint has been tried out on me and I’m having none of it. Church is a building with four walls. Instead I’m of the mindset of church being a community of believers and whether that community is of singular or plural dimensions, I believe that Jesus will meet you where you are as long as your heart is open/available and seeking His. Church is about being fed. Interestingly I googled how many times Jesus mentioned the word church in the Bible and the number was one (but still counting). And yet, it is stated that whenever two or more are gathered in His name, then Jesus is in the midst of them! Ah…..didn’t see walls as a prerequisite there, did you?
With all that said, I’m not trying to make being lazy about one’s relationship with God an easy out for those who are spiritually seeking. I’ve been on the lazy end of things for much too long in my life. Being too busy isn’t an answer to put God at the bottom of your to do list either…..and I’ve done that as well. This is a tricky blog for me to write, because I don’t want to misdirect anyone’s footsteps in their journey to understand God. There is a huge responsibility associated with this journey and that is one I am not quite up to speed in adequately portraying. The thing is though, far too many people have the idea that showing up to a building on a given day of the week is the end of that responsibility and they then judge those who don’t even make that attempt. What they are missing is that God is the judge….not them!
Why does man "mandate" that we follow a prescribed set of rules? Just this morning I was reading in Luke 6:6-9 (my paraphrase) as Jesus, on a Sabbath day sees a man with a withered hand and asks the man to stand amongst the Pharisees. He then heals the man’s withered hand and the Pharisees become irate. Jesus then asks them, is it unlawful or incorrect to do "good" on the Sabbath? The Sabbath is supposed to be that day of rest, where one doesn’t "work." And that is a whole other blog for another day. The point I was trying to get at, is that the Pharisees (the religious leaders of that day) were all about enforcing the rules of religion, so much so that they would deny saving someone’s life (or as my bible stated – denying someone something if they would derive an advantage from it.)
Recently I’ve become so much more aware of the mandates people impose on one another. We are so bound up in our schedules we need laxatives to allow ourselves the time to relax. And all puns are intended in my saying that! Good grief!
I am not speaking about irresponsibility; but I’ve reached the threshold of trying to juggle too much of life at one time. It just keeps coming at me, faster than I, in my own power can possibly deal with. This is a lesson in faith for me. You see, it is in my weakness that God can show HIS power. As long as I am in control, He will allow me to believe that I can do it all. For awhile it seemed as if I was doing quite well, but when the storms of life started showing up at my door, I quickly became aware of just how unprepared I was! And if you think admitting that was easy, let me assure you that it wasn’t, but pride no longer stands in my way, especially if in sharing these little nuggets helps someone else! No don’t read that as false piety, I truly want people to relate to life in a real way, but also to realize that even in times of aloneness, with God we are never abandoned. I don’t want someone to have suffered the sting of sanctimony and felt rejected and think that God isn’t there for them because they haven’t stepped foot into a "building." This is a misconception of great proportion. It was even uttered by one of my own family members in regard to my husband’s health. Let me reiterate this point. The act of going to church does not atone for the event occurring IF the follow through isn’t pointed in the same direction. If you need that in sports terms…..shooting a basketball at a goal won’t land the ball in the basket if at the end of the shot your hands aren’t pointed to the goal. And with that said, just because you go to church and you try to clean up your act, won’t make whatever the event go in your desired direction. Each of our lives has been planned by God. Whether or not we live by His plan, we have all been given a prescribed number of days. It is our choice in how we live those days. What choices have you made?
Free will was God’s gift to us. He didn’t "mandate" that we follow HIS way, but HIS way is the way that gives us the best of the best. Unfortunately too many of us find this out too late. We snicker and sneer at those who choose His way rather than going for the gusto of self-absorption. Personally, as I said to a friend this weekend, I’m tired of the mandate of agendas. I don’t want to think, feel, nor have to do anything at any given moment. Instead, and not irresponsibly, I want to allow myself to live in the moment trusting that I will be directed and able to enjoy the moment at hand. It is so freeing to let control go. In opening my hand to release my control, I can then accept the hand of the one who seeks to take me on the rest of the journey of my life.
Looking up!
Barb
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