But that may be a problem.
Preparing for this Sunday worship was a joy. I was excited that we were taking a risk and doing something different. And believe me, everything about this was a risk. First, we took a risk by choosing to take on a parking lot restoration project that cost more than our yearly budget. (A yearly budget that we are often behind on, by the way.) And we didn't just decide to raise the money, we had the construction company start the work. Talk about risk. We aren't one of those churches that complains about being behind financially while sitting on an endowment or large savings that no one wants to touch. We have what is provided by those that give in faith every Sunday. And we cut it pretty close sometimes. The parking lot was a risk, but in a matter of a few months, the work is done and as of yesterday, all $157,000 has been raised through donations, gifts, and pledges to be paid over the course of a year. God is faithful.
The parking lot was a risk, not just financially, but in regards to following God's plan for our church. I didn't even want to do the thing. I couldn't wrap my head around putting an unbelievable amount of money into the place that we park our cars. Aren't there other places we could invest that kind of money that would be more in line with our call as a church? But the reality was that it had to be done. We didn't have potholes, we had craters two feet deep and ten feet long. Someone was going to be hurt or a car was going to disappear into the underworld. But would God bless the use of money for something such as this? We had all the conversations and ultimately had to make a choice. Like Jonathan and his armor bearer, we decided to push forward and know that if it was a success, then God was on our side.
Our Parking Lot Worship was also a risk. When I shared with our church that we were meeting outside for the entire service in October, there were some skeptical faces. Thankfully, this isn't the first time I've asked people to do something weird. After all, not that long ago, we left worship on a rainy September Sunday to take "Christian toilet paper" door to door and pray for those we encountered. This seems tame by comparison, but the cold can cause some problems. My first conversation of the day as I was setting up outside and the first people were coming for Sunday School went like this: Senior Adult: "Are we still having church outside?" Me: Yep, it'll be brisk." Her: "Well, I have a coat." It was a great way to start our day. I didn't encounter someone complaining about the cold, but ready for what God had in store for us.
And Parking Lot Worship really was awesome. But what about the rest of our weeks in worship? I have to admit something here that's hard to admit as a pastor. I don't always get so excited for a Sunday morning. Actually, between you and me, I sometimes dread them. Yes, I know, I should love to come together with our church to worship; and in a lot of ways I do. But it's also a stressful day full of work and pressure to lead the time together. I want the music - that I help lead - to usher people into God's presence. But I also want it to sound good. I want my sermon to help people to grow closer in their relationship to Christ. But I also don't want to sound like an idiot. Every week I fight through my challenges to try to be the leader I'm called to be among God's people.
I think maybe it comes down to one thing. I'm super excited when I can see and feel God moving. And I wonder how many Sundays out of the year our churches can say that is really happening. Rev. Eddie Cruz was our speaker at the Mid-American Baptist Churches Biennial this weekend and something he said speaks directly to this. He told of an encounter he had with some young adults who had little interest in church. They told him the typical responses: it's boring, it isn't relevant. It's like going to a funeral. He then reminded us that there are great celebrations that we see around us. In celebrity culture there are Grammys, Espys, Oscars, Emmys, etc, and what do those people have to celebrate other than their own accomplishments? But we have a God and a Gospel that give us a reason to celebrate. With that to celebrate, how could our gatherings look more like a funeral than a celebration?
I need to get excited about every Sunday because it is a celebration of the God of the universe who gives us life in Jesus Christ. It shouldn't take doing something crazy to be excited.
So what do you think? How do we as the church make every time we gather in Christ's name a time where we see and feel the movement of the Spirit?
Cause I'm up for feeling like this every week.
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