Back to Basics Church…
by Steve Ridgell on Dec.01, 2008, under Hope
I want to find a church like this:
The building committee approves the building of a stable instead of a multi-million dollar edifice. I know you can’t have much of a crowd in a stable, but I like the idea of simple and functional as opposed to grand and expensive.
Animals are allowed in the building. Maybe that is not really practical, but it would be great to be in a church that dealt with real life and not just “church” life.
The message is about good news of great joy. It seems to me that is what most people I know are looking for: a life of joy.
Farmers and intellectuals worship together. I believe people everywhere are pretty much the same. We generally need and want the same things. I want a church where people of every race, economic status, or profession are welcome.
It started out like that you know. Church is really about a simple message. God’s son came to earth and lived among us. He was born in a stable among real animals. He lived a real life.
That’s the good news: that God wanted us to be in a relationship with him so much that he let His son leave heaven and come to earth to make that relationship possible. For everyone that wants it.
It is not complicated. It is not elaborate. It is good news of great joy. Do not be confused by the church pomp and circumstance you see this time of year. Do not let the competing message of the world’s view of Christmas hide Jesus, who came to earth to find you.
So how did he find you? Why does it seem so difficult to find him today?
steve
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Perhaps it’s difficult to find Jesus today because there are so many impersonators that his true identity has been lost in the shuffle. It seems that everyday someone is selling a new Jesus in a new wrapper, as if he was a commodity that could be improved upon or sold at a lower price. And, while I agree that finding joy is “not complicated…not elaborate”, it’s also disappointing. Too often putting my hope in Jesus has felt like a tricky shell game. Just when I think I have chosen the right Jesus I lift the shell to see that I’ve been deceived by another fast slight of the hand. How do we extricate ourselves from what seems to be a rickety path to joy? Perhaps just as important, who do we trust along this path to give genuine advice instead of the usual litany of proverbial joyful comments?
Tony,
It is true that sometimes it seems people, even Christians, are more concerned with marketing Jesus in a package that often seems too complex, too complicated. Two things have been very helpful to me as I seek to follow the real Jesus. I try to read the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) often to see the real Jesus: how he treated people, how he lived, how he related to God. Secondly, I seek to find genuine followers of Jesus to give me advice. Does their life seem to reflect the Jesus I read about? Do they have joy, peace, purpose, and hope? Do they treat me, and others, like I think Jesus would? Not looking for perfect people, just those committed to following him in real and radical ways. There are people living authentic lives for Jesus all over this world. It is easy to put hope in things that look like Jesus but are not… especially at this time of year. He is more than a cute baby. He is the one who died so could have a relationship with God. And he calls us to die.
I would love to continue this discussion or help you find people who will not just point the way to Jesus, but will walk with you on that journey. Let me know.
steve