I was standing in the Narthex last Sunday admiring the new carpet, paint, flooring, and wallcovering. It all looks magnificent and I hope that all of you are very proud of your “new look.” It certainly looks inviting and has a nice warm feeling to it.
As I was thinking about this, it occurred to me the change is symbolic of Countryside. For the Fireside Room, many changes have been made and there is new furniture coming. For Countryside, we’ve made a lot of changes in our time together and there are new ministries coming. It’s all exciting and it’s hard to wait. But they will come soon enough. Like the greater church, we wait for the coming of the kingdom. We are excited by the “not yet” and still work towards the goal. We yearn for the day in which all people know the love of God and we can all live in the Kingdom of God. Until that great day, we continue to work together, change and improve. Both you and I are truly blessed. May there be many more blessings upon each and every one of you as you continue this great ministry. Rev. Dr. Larry McSwain of the Center for Healthy Churches states this month that it’s time for our annual church checkup. One of the things Rev. McSwain cautions is,
“I have been working with congregations in a variety of ways for more than fifty years now. The most common malady of “dis-ease” or “anxiety” in the church is the tendency to assess where we are in the present in terms of the past. It is such a temptation to evaluate the current state of the church in terms of a more glorious past. The older we are and the longer we have been involved in a local church the more likely we will succumb to this temptation to judge our present by the way we used to be.” In church after church I continue to see this. But I will admit, this is becoming less and less true of Countryside. You are beginning to have new visions and new ways of doing things in the church that promise a bright future. When Jesus began his ministry, he was casting the old ways aside and beginning new. Some were undoubtedly confused and angry that he was not doing things the old way. But the new way far outshined the old way and the world is a better place because of it. So when you find yourself saying, “We used to have…”, rethink it and say, “You know, we could try…” Who knows? You might just start something big. In a lot of ways, it’s sad that America appears to be obsessed with their bodies. Too fat, too thin, not the right color, bulges where they’re not supposed to be, not perfectly symmetrical, hair too long, too short or not the right color and the list goes on and on. I was sitting at the cardiologist’s office thinking, “I’ve got too much fat - too much around the belly. She’s going to put me on a diet sure as the world.” She came into the exam room. Before she could utter a single word, I said, “I know, I know, I’ve got to take off the weight.” She said, “Why? You’re OK.” I had fallen victim to the American ideal of body. What a trap to fall into.
In church, we throw around the term “Body of Christ” quite a bit. But what is the body? The Body of Christ isn’t a physical body but a spiritual one. Lord help us if we think it’s physical – we’d probably try and come up with some standard of beauty and never be satisfied. The Body of Christ is you and me. Lumps and bumps and all; imperfect little specimens of bodily shapes. None of that matters. The spirit of each of us joins together to create a perfect spiritual body, the church, the Body of Christ. Certainly we have our own imperfections, but together we form a perfect body and God loves it. God loves us as the Body of Christ and as individual members of that body. We all have a part to play in that Body. What’s your part? This week we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus and remember our own baptism. For some of us, this is a tough task since we were baptized as infants. Others of us have vivid memories of our baptism. Still others have not been baptized either by circumstance or by choice. In the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), we celebrate all baptisms and wait expectedly for those who wish to come forward to be baptized.
As I will say in the sermon, “Baptism is the confirmation of God’s grace already received.” This statement from our founders makes the Disciples of Christ unique among denominations. It is for this reason that we recognize all baptisms and do not “re-baptize” anyone who wishes to join our congregation. So all are welcome and we wait with open arms for all to come. We are the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and we accept all people as God’s own children. |
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This blog consists of reflections written by the minister each week for the Sunday bulletin. We hope that you enjoy the musings! Archives
January 2020
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