It’s so tempting, when reading the Bible, hearing a sermon, or just belonging to a church, to picture all things of God as ancient history, precious relics, heartwarming stories, and beautiful music – with fellowship dinners thrown in. And maybe the more formalized our services, the easier this thinking can arise. For those blessed with a Sunday School upbringing, that thinking may go back to the flannelgraph figures (which we got to put up on the flannel-covered board ourselves), the weekly coloring sheets, the ‘perfect attendance’ pins (I still have mine).
We live in an affluent society, and whether, in our eyes, we are rich or poor, we are afforded an abundance of creature comforts. It’s almost humorous to imagine what living with ‘just the basics’ means to us compared to its meaning to a large percentage of the world’s population. For example, just recently someone mentioned that they love camping, to which I too promptly responded that I preferred staying in a hotel, sleeping in a real bed, having a clean shower – busted! And it’s because of the muchness available to us that a sense of our spiritual need can get dulled. That was a complaint of God to the Israelites who had become fat and happy and boastful.
I think God’s Word, the Living Word, still sharper than a two-edged sword, should cause us to approach it fully aware we’re in the Presence of His aliveness, His powerfulness and the majesty of His Being. Aware, too, that the Word still thunders to us who are listening, still intends for us to be ‘spoken to’ by the Presence, still waits for our hearts to be receptive to the Love pouring out through reading or hearing. Author Annie Dillard feels we are inviting the wildest of powers when we go to church. She says: ‘It’s madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares and lash us all to our pews.’ (in Teaching a Stone to Talk).’
If this heightened awareness became our principal intention, we may be less surprised at God’s mysterious ways, His ‘higher than ours’ thoughts. When we read about the disciples becoming Apostles of Jesus’ church or Saul the Christian persecutor becoming God’s ambassador, we may hear the Word addressing us, asking something new of us, working His Word in our hearts. Maybe all dullness would be stripped away and a new vibrancy would rock our world. Ready? PD
Don graduated from Regent University in 1988 and moved to France for seven years, coming back to the US briefly to marry Sue in 1990. The work in France included working in a Christian School and helping plant a church before returning in 1995. He’s been pastor of Peninsula Vineyard since 1999. He enjoys counseling, especially married couples, traveling back to France (with Sue), reading, doing Sudoku puzzles and sleuthing out good, dark chocolate. Don serves as the senior pastor of the Vineyard Church Peninsula, in Newport News, Virginia.