Experiencing the Family of God

This past weekend I had a truly wonderful experience in worship. I was invited to be part of worship with one of the other congregations which shares our church facilities. The worship service started with joyful and energetic singing. It was great to be part of such enthusiastic praise, but that was just a prelude to what was to happen next.

A young couple in the congregation brought their infant daughter to, as the pastor said, "present her to God and to the church," in a service of dedication. As the pastor took the child in his arms, he talked with the parents about their responsibilities in caring for their daughter, "physically, spiritually and morally." As the mother lovingly stroked her daughter's head and pictures of the infant flashed on the screen behind them, the pastor asked her if she was willing to commit herself to the care and keeping of the child, "physically, spiritually and morally." When she said "yes," the congregation applauded. The pastor then asked the same question of the father. Once again the congregation celebrated as the father signaled his willingness to nurture this child in all facets of her life. Another pastor took the baby in his arms and prayed a prayer of dedication and then the mother was presented with a Bible. The pastor reminded the young mother that this Bible was God's Word, not just a gift or a keepsake. He encouraged her to begin, even while her daughter was an infant, to read the Scriptures to her daily. It was a moving worship experience, but not so different from dedication services I had seen, or participated in in the past. It was the reaction of the congregation that was memorable. People from all over the room (there were nearly a hundred in attendance), got up from their seats and came to the front to take pictures of the family and to record the dedication. Each one was making sure to get a picture from every angle. It dawned on me that they were not recording the events for the young family, or even for the church records. These people were taking pictures of the dedication for themselves, commemorating the event as if it were a member of their own immediate family.

After this young family went to their seats, to the applause of the congregation and shouts of praise to God, the deacons came and moved a table to the center front of the room. The table was spread for the celebration of the Lord's Supper. At the moment when I expected to see them distribute the bread to the congregation, the deacons sat down instead and I looked to see a little girl walking down the aisle carrying a pillow. If I had not known better, I would have thought we were about to have a wedding ceremony, right here in the middle of a worship service. Much to my surprise and delight, I saw a couple follow the child down the aisle, holding hands. We WERE going to have a wedding ceremony as part of the worship service! After talking about the significance of marriage, the pastor led the couple in the exchanging of their vows and in the exchanging of rings. The pastor led a prayer of commitment and then the deacons came to the front and began to distribute the elements of the Lord's Supper. First with the bread and then with the cup, the pastor not only emphasized the significance of this worship remembrance to the congregation, but also to the couple who were still standing before him. He used the occasion to remind them of the central role Christ should have in their home. We all partook together of the Lord's Supper. Once the deacons had returned to their seats, the pastor pronounced the couple husband and wife, they exchanged a kiss and then sat down on the front row to listen to the sermon I was about to preach. Even on their wedding day, both of these individuals were completely engaged in the preaching of the word, listening intently and responding to that which was said.

It was an amazing experience, including a wedding as part of the regular worship of the church and allowing the celebration of Communion to be the occasion of emphasizing the central place Christ should have in a Christian home. Once again, however, I was struck by the response of the congregation. Through all parts of the wedding ceremony, with the exception of the observance of the Lord's Supper, there were people coming to the front to take pictures or to record video of the proceedings. It was obvious that they were recording the event, not for the couple but for themselves, as if these people were members of their own immediate family.

At the conclusion of the worship service, the congregation stood and the newly married couple left first, arm in arm, to the applause of those gathered. They went to an adjoining area where those who were gathered shared together in a wonderful meal. As I watched the fellowship around the table, I had the sense that I was watching a true family reunion.

A few things struck me about this experience. First, I was fascinated by how this congregation integrated the momentous family events, a marriage and the birth of a child, so centrally into their corporate worship. These were not simply additions to an already full worship service, they were at the core of their celebration as the people of God. Second, I was struck by how this congregation demonstrated a true sense of family. As I watched the members of the congregation carefully taking their turn to photograph the proceedings, it was if they were taking pictures of their own families, commemorating events that were of great importance to them personally. I was also moved by the central role the Scriptures played in everything they did. There was a reason for what they were doing, and they knew that the reason had its foundation in Scripture. Finally, I was impressed by the unrestrained joy that characterized their gathering. They were happy to be part of such a family and when they had the opportunity to share around the table together, it was as if they never wanted to leave. Even though almost everything that was said was said in Portuguese, I did not feel that I was an outsider.

I left the service feeling like I had gotten a glimpse of what it means to be the family of God. For these dear Christians, saying that they were brothers and sisters in Christ was not an exercise in semantics. They really meant it, and they lived as if they meant it.

"Un-Christian America"

It seems like every year magazines like "Newsweek" and cable television channels like "Discovery" or ""The History Channel" use the week of Easter as the time to promote stories that proponents think will put an end to the power of Christianity once and for all. Whether they choose to promote the "other gospels" produced by Gnostic communities like Nag Hamadi or to reveal "secrets" about such biblical figures as Mary Magdalene or Thomas or even Judas Iscariot, they seem to think that their revelations will not only rob the gospel of its power, but that it will throw enough doubt into people's minds during the Easter season that they will take a pass on anything religious.

I have to confess that I am getting a little tired of hearing all the consternation from those who are scandalized by such attacks on the church. To think that anyone raising such issues as the divinity of Christ or the reliability of the gospels is leveling a new attack is naive, at best. To think that the questions raised by "scholars" weakens the power of the gospel in any way is like saying that someone with a feather represents a threat to a soldier in a tank. The apostle Paul calls the gospel "the power of God," which leads to salvation for all those who believe. The "power of God," certainly has nothing to fear from any power of man.

The greater threat to the church in 21st century America is the "un-christianity" of the church itself. While the gospel carries the same power today as it did in the first century, the church has, in many cases, sacrificed that power for the sake of popularity, prosperity or expediency. Jesus says that if anyone will come after Him, it is necessary that we take up our cross and follow and the Scriptures tell us that the Lord is near those who are of a humble and contrite heart but prosperity preachers proclaim a faith life that is comfortable, prosperous and free of pain. Jesus taught us that the gate into life is narrow and the way is difficult and Paul encourages us to "work out" our salvation with "fear and trembling." Many American churches, however, seek to make the idea of a faith life as trouble-free as possible. Rather than encouraging hearers to conform life to the Scriptures, many contemporary preachers start with the "felt needs" of their congregations and seek, instead, to conform the Scriptures to contemporary issues. I believe that it is necessary to interpret the Scriptures faithfully and meaningfully for each generation, but we should start with God's Word and seek in all ways to conform our lives to the pattern He has established for us. Who knows, that may prevent some of those "felt needs" from every becoming an issue!

Jesus said that He was (and is) "the way, the truth and the life." Way too often, however, we get the impression that some within the church are not telling us the truth. For a community that is not supposed to be "of" this world, we devote a lot of energy to making sure that "this world" is comfortable with us. President Obama told a gathering in Turkey that America is not "a Christian nation." Whether you agree with his assessment or not, we should be more concerned that the American church has ceased to be a "Christian" church. If we would train our attention primarily on the gospel and the Christ who is proclaimed in the gospel, we would do well. While programs and promotions help us connect with those to whom we have been sent as churches, those programs and promotions are not the essence of who we are supposed to be. Christ is. An "un-christian" nation will be transformed, not when Christians are so outraged that they protest the characterization, but when "un-christian" churches decide once again that they will take seriously the call and the example of Jesus Christ.