Howdy y'all --
Thanks for all the interesting posts. Nat, I read that article you attached. It had uncanny connections to the events and themes of the service today. In fact, Sr. del Cruz seemed to be talking exactly about that -- turning church from a hotel to a hospital (Katherine and I even came up with an exciting new name for the CHBC: The Gospital!!). His message, and the direction of the sermon, is exactly the sort of exciting move towards following Christ's teaching more authentically that we all need! Lord, shake us out of our complacency and open our eyes to your truth, love, courage, and grace.
A friend brought up an important point after the service: in the past, he has not been so keen on bringing others to our hospital. He has not been too excited about the healing and the medicine it has offered. I appreciated his candor and blunt honesty, and I think that considering such things is crucial if we want to truly be more like a hospital. Are we committed to do what it takes to be welcoming and seeking of the outcasts and rejects? I have to search myself and decide -- because church would look very different if we were seeking the lost to bring in and offer God's healing. I'm daunted by that idea but encouraged that it doesn't, of course, have to be about me. It's, duh, about God (I always forget that)! If the Bible says one thing clearly, it's that through God, all things are possible.
So I offer that question, if you want to respond: What would our church have to do to be more and more like a hospital than a hotel?
Adios!
PS Wow, that "Deliverer" song was extraordinary.
Walker
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4 comments:
I agree Walker, It was a very inspiring service. I too was "relieved" to hear the redefinition of the church as a place for the sick. Here is a question I have. If the church becomes too focussed on reaching out, is enough attention being given to those who have come for the healing? I think there needs to be a balance between administering the healing Love of God during the service as well as time encouraging those who God has anointed and inspired to reach out to others. I always get a little nervous when I hear sermons about how we need to help others, without an aknowledgement of How God is healing and helping us, and the importance of repentance and confession.
Great insights, Walker. I really appreciate your participation.
God Bless.
Part of me feels that in order to not be a hotel, we need to get rid of this extravagant building (seriously -- part of me does). Yet, the rest of me says we should use our "hotel-like" building and use it to meet the needs of the "sick". I have said this before, but I think we missed an opportunity back during that ice storm three years ago ('member?) when some had power losses for three, four, up to seven days. The church regained power on that Friday night, and it would have been a wonderful opportunity for us to go out into the streets (literally) and bring the 'power-less' into our spacious, heated building. There were literally thousands still freezing out there, yet we did nothing to warm them.
This is not intended as a jab at leadership which includes myself, of course) or a blame-game of any kind, but just an indication that our default faith-in-action is not fully what I think Jesus wants it to be: caring for and healing the sick, poor, & needy.
Anyway...more later. Thanks, y'all, for reading this far.
Moving from convicted heart to action, what small things can we do on Sunday morning? Say to the congregation..."I love you"? More Peace and Quiet? Emapthy and Understanding? It think there is an opportunity in our "in between" times (between songs and other elements) to speak with compassion as if to the sick.
I love you
Debbie,
I think that is a very good way to think about it. It aknowledges that we are in different stages in our walk. I would love to think more about how we encourage this more comprehensive approach. I would be intersted to see what scriptures says about the three stages? Healing, learning, helping.
Last burning question. Have we been over emphasizing one stage over the other? Thanks....very helpful.
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