Sunday evening I attended a community-wide Thanksgiving service in another town. I'm always a little shy when joining groups of strangers, so I sat near the back. Since my friend was part of the service, I had ample time to observe those that filled the church. There was considerable chatter, friends from same congregations gathering to chit-chat. Much of the 'audience' was over 40 (or more), but there were more youth than I would have imagined. Above the 'altar' hung a huge AV screen that I later learned held the words to wonderful more modern praise and worship music. As I looked about, I began to feel that 'ole feeling' I sometimes get when I attend events in a traditional Christian setting. And then I chastise myself mentally for thinking that I'm thinking with an aire of superiority, etc. However, it wasn't that at all. It was the feeling of sadness I felt as I looked into hollow eyes for whom this was simply something one does if one idenifies himself or herself as a "Christian". I saw men and women whose lives had never experienced the touch of the Man of Galilee whose Spirit empowers us to change, mature and grow. Most importantly, empowers us to achieve and fulfill the purpose for which we are here! I felt outrage! And then the service began. A young guitar group singing great praise and worship music rather than traditional hymns. Words splashed across a giant screen that hid most of the pipes of a once magnificent pipe organ. "How many of these folks are appalled at this", I thought as I watched their faces. Then the "men of God" (not a female clergyperson among them) took to the pulpit. With the exception of two, they were theatrical and pompous. They made great flourish of the tradition of bringing canned goods to the altar that would later be distributed to the less fortunante of the community - something that I'm sure made everyone there feel they'd done their "Christian duty". Finally, the 'show' came to an end! A heavily-bearded theological-looking pastor took his place on the podium to deliver the closing prayer and blessing. He looked out over the assembled 'mass' - stretched his arms out from his sides, closed his eyes and began to speak. It was theatrics at its best. I sound as if it was a bore to me and I thought it would be. Actually, had it not been for those wonderful songs of honest thanksgiving to God and meaningful worship, it would have been "business, albeit theological business, as usual!" On the way home, I had much mental time with the Lord! What disturbed me most where not the charismatic, politically-polished personalities of the pastors that broke my heart (I've come to expect that more often than not these days). It was how those who sat in the pews had, for the most part, been 'robbed' of their inheritance in the Kingdom that begins here and now, by the Church! We've done it to ourselves! We've done it to honest, sincere folks who want to inherit eternal life and are just languishing until that day comes. The messages delivered from thousands, millions of pulpits around the world for generations have been messages of harangue - preaching to the choir so to speak - rather than messages of Love and an understanding that if we are to grow into our purpose and inherit what is ours NOW and take dominion for Him NOW - we need TEACHING! Teaching from folks, regardless of gender, who have a clue what the Word is saying and can share it in such a way that each Sunday and Wednesday evening, we come away with an "ah ha" that we can chew on all week, meditate upon with the Lord and turn into another small layer of maturity on our way to growing into the likeness and stature of our Lord - the ONLY Lord there is! In those quiet moments of the 35 mile drive home, I cried for those in the kingdom who are 'lost' - not to eternal salvation, but to the Lord's purpose for them! To the fullness of what He has for them! To "meat" (as Paul called it) rather than the pablum they've been fed over the years. What is it that closed the veil that was rent in two at the shedding of His blood? Why do men - well meaning men (and sometimes women) - who seek to lead a body of believers - become obsessed with the power and position so many of us give them simply because they are perceived to be "men of God"*? [*By the way, another one so perceived fell today and the whole world knows it because it made national and international media reports. Shame on him for disgracing the name of our Lord and shame on him for making it a little more difficult for those of us who want the world to know we are Christians without being identified with the folly of those whose egos grew beyond proportion]. The more I look upon what the world has done to the Man, the Message, and the sharing of same; the more outraged I become. NO, outrage is not a strong enough word! Sorrow comes much closer. If it were simply that what the Gospel speaks has been perverted in some strange way - I might be able to deal with that. But these are people. Persons for whom the Lord died and rose again and sent Gifts when once again He sat down at His Father's right hand. People who come to life with a destiny DNA planted there by our Papa who has a specific and unique purpose for each of them. Not the least of which is that they grow into mature, wise men and women who take their rightful place in society and culture in a commanding manner that brings to fulfillment their role and responsibilities as outlined in the Heavenly Design. What are we to do about it? That's the question I asked Sunday evening as I neared home. What can we do about it? Well, on a grand scale - not much. Except to plant seeds and have conversation with the few that God brings across our paths. Ultimately, to reverse the perversion of the theme of the message and change the way things have been done is in the Hands of God. And I shudder when I think of that passage that states, "It is an awesome thing to fall into the Hands of a Living God!" Better it would be to have a millstone about one's neck than to mislead or misdirect or in any other manner or by any other means keep the tender children of God from being led into or taught into the fullness of their destiny in Him and the accomplishment of the purposes for which He has planted them. Let us do our part to bring wholeness to those who haven't yet heard the Good News and let us begin with those in God's house first!
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What closed the veil that was torn in two at the shedding of His blood? What happened to the gathering of the body of believers over centuries that codified and confined the message to cement rather than to ground plowed and ready for planting? Did we, the corporation called "Church" do it?
Linda S. Fitzgerald, M.S.Ed, has a passion for enriching, empowering and encouraging women to achieve their God-given destiny. A professional therapist by background and destiny-design coach, she is chief architect for the web’s newest online COMMUNITY for all women whether over 40 or not! Please visit http://www.awomensplace.org/blog for great information on topics of interest to women transitioning through life’s most exciting season.
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