Christmas is over

Well, as this last week of my yearly holidays comes to a close, I echo the words of my frustrated wife last night as we were returning home at 10:15 pm with the repaired van with a temperature of -35 C, and I quote; "This holiday really sucked."

Yes indeedy, she was a beaut. (The holiday, not my wife...  uh, not that my wife wasn't a beauty... isn't a beauty, ... I give up, there's no way out of this hole)

But, for all we couldn't get done, we were able to watch some good movies. And games were played with the family, including me on one or two occasions. I've got a lovely Pink Lounge set up for my extras, and I've been able to do some thinking on church.

As a pastor, I confess to you a disinterest in building my local church, I'd rather be building His kingdom. I don't want people to join the church just so they can be on a board. I don't want people to give more money, just to support salaries.

I don't want people to go on missions, just to export a culture. I don't want people to dress up for church just because everybody else does. I don't want to run with the latest church fad just to draw people who are interested in the latest thing. I don't want to plan worship for people for whom it's just Blah blah blah blah blah.

 

I do want people to meet Jesus. I do want people to give up their hurts and bitterness, for life and freedom. I do want people to experience God in ways they never knew existed.

I do want people to worship God in creative, reflective ways. I do want people to give their money to God, by way of the poor and the church. I do want people to give up their lives and go, INTO cultures and countries and live Jesus lives there, so that others may meet Him too.

I do want us to find new ways to DO church. To BE community. To TELL the Jesus story.

I want new understandings of membership.  I want new ways of seating the chairs or if there even are any. I want new ways of communicating the gospel of grace and mercy.

I want church to really be a group of people. Not a building on a corner, not a service Sunday morning at 11:00 or 10:45 am. Not a budget or a constitution.

I want our relationships guided by the Scripture, and the Spirit, not Roberts (Bless him) Rules of Order.

I want church to happen at Tim Hortons over a doubledouble with a maple glazed. At the plant in the lunch room. Around the table after a good meal.

 

I guess I want us to live like we really believe it.

Not like, "We'll see."

 

That's the place I'm going. That's the country I long for.

I surround myself with postcards of that place, and my greatest frustration comes from living in this place, while on the journey to That place.

But I'll tell you, that's where I'm going, and I'm going to take as many of you with me as I can.