Thoughts from Culhwch

Last night I continued writing on my recent theme of sin and community. But I wonder if there’s more I can say on that topic. Ryan pointed out that maybe this topic has something to say about the divisions of the church, so I think I’ll explore it a bit.

I find that I seem to have many different feelings on the current state of the church. I suppose my feelings shift around in various ways. But I think we must all cling to some kind of vision of the Church’s reconciliation. I’m not calling for an end to denominations, though I might eventually come to such a position, but I am sure that we as Christians must learn to work together for the spread of the gospel, that as long as we persist in cutting short our ministries because of disagreements, both minor and major, we ultimately fail to accomplish the work set before us.

So the question is, how does Christ’s suffering, both for other churches and for my own (though there is only one Church) unite us?

In the first instance, it means that Christ’s death covers the sins of my church and my neighbor’s. It means that whatever shortcomings cause us to stumble along the way have been covered by that atonement. I cannot say of my church nor of my neighbor’s “You are too sinful to be counted among Christ’s children.” For wherever Christ’s sacrifice has begun the process of reconciliation, I encounter not human failing but God’s power being “made perfect” in our weakness. Whereever brother’s and sisters meet in Christ’s name, Christ too is there. Therefore, just as to deny that God is at work in my brother, is to deny Christ,  likewise, to deny that Christ is at work in my brother’s congregation is to deny Christ.

But Christ is not only at work in my congregation, and in my neigbor’s, but also between our congregations. This means that the sins that we have committed against each other, that I have committed against my neighbor’s congregation or likewise his against mine, have also been covered by Christ’s sacrifice. If we relate to each other then, upon that common ground which is Christ himself, then we have Christ calling us together, taking upon himself the ways we persecute one another, the ways we hold each other back, the ways we feel persecuted, the ways we feel held back.

All this should change the way we view our fellow believers. For not only did Christ suffer for us all, he also taught us to lift up those who persecute us. At the same time, we learn to be weary lest we persecute others.

Finally, in any relationship on earth we are aware of the mis-steps and the times we, sadly willingly, harm one another. But this suffering Christ teaches us not only that we have been forgiven, He also teaches us to forgive, and then gives us the ministry of reconciliation. How do we respond? I think we lift one another up in prayer, realizing that what we pray for we are likely also called to be integral in meeting that need.

If we are to come together as one Church, it is through not only the shared sense of Christ having suffered and died to forgive us, but also through the Christ who has suffered and died to heal the divisions between us.

Thoughts?

It’s sometimes great how from time to time we realize how God works. We struggle for some time with one sin or another, and finally get the nerve to admit to a brother. Suddenly, God blesses us in that very moment. I think this is part of how Christian community is supposed to work. We are supposed to go to one another as the broken individuals we are, to support each other and hold each other accountable, which means giving each other advice for how to overcome the things we are struggling with. It changes everything. But it doesn’t work when we only half way do it. I cannot simply say to my brother that I am a sinner, I must be free and open and admit that sin. When I do, I find that God has prepared a way out.

In the sermons that I have heard over the last month, one point stands out above the others. Over and again, I hear how we as Christians cannot be a place where other’s see Christ at work unless we are able to admit that we need God not only on Sunday mornings when we feel all Godly and ready to sing with each other, we must also show others that we need and seek God when we are broken, and confused (breaking and confusing too). The thing is, if our worship never makes room to say that we have been healed, and yet still need that healing, then we lose track of God’s work, we lose track of what God is doing with us and with others, we lose out on the very thing that God gave us to speak most powerfully of this ministry that has been entrusted to us, that is, our testimony. A testimony is empty if it never admits our need, our want, our lack. We have to be there not just as saints, but as sinners whom God has touched. Without openness about our sin, we have no gospel. Our purpose is voided.

It’s not easy being honest, its not easy being what God has called us to be. And the moment we admit that we fail on both counts, we suddenly find God’s care, God’s joy in calling us back to the flock. And that joy both its cause and its working out in our lives is one of the most powerful things we can share with others.

I guess the real question is, how do we do it. I think it starts with finding friends that can hold us accountable. I think it starts with finding ways to show our faults to those we worship with. Finally this process ends in true worship. Worship that sees the power of God to enact change in our life and in the lives of the others we support.

So I guess it comes back to how we worship. Do we worship in spirit and truth? Or do we worship with clean hands and dirty hearts?
~David

So, I’m working on putting together a website that I have envisioned for some time. Think of it as a cross between a blog, and a poetry reading, with discussion. You can follow the link at the right and check it out. I haven’t put a good theme on the site yet. Anyway, I hope a lot of you will register for the site and share your thoughts, poetry, prose, aesthetic theories and pretty much anything that you think would contribute to the website and toward building a community of people who want to talk about the intersection of the arts and faith. I’m working on a better self-registration system. Currently you can all self-register, but I’ll have to elevate your privileges before you can publish anything.

I’m setting up a new website today. And here is my own personal blog. I’m not sure if any of you will actually be interested, but welcome to my thoughts.