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A student survey conducted at one of our local schools determined that young people see the church as being full of old people and pews. And they think that the pews have to go. There’s some good news in that survey, they didn’t say the old people should go, only the pews.
Think for a moment: How does their perception match reality?
We might immediately begin to defend the pews. They've been good enough for generations. They keep us awake. They haven’t killed anyone.
Or we might be offended that they’ve labelled us as old. We might argue that we’re not nearly as old as our grandparents were at the same age.
We might want to join James and John to ask Jesus whether we should call down fire from heaven and destroy them.
But before we get too defensive, these young people are crying out for the church to recognise and value them. They don’t think the church cares about them, they don’t think we care. They think the church is only interested in the people who’re already involved, which to them means old people.
I wonder whether they’re any different to those of any age who aren’t connected to our churches. Would the whole ‘unchurched’ and 'previously-churched’ community agree that we don’t care. Would they contend that we’re only interested in ourselves.
If we’re so busy polishing and defending our pews then they have to go. If there’s anything in our church that uses up our time at the expense of living our lives for Jesus then it has to go.
Even more urgently we have to go. Not leave the church, the community of God’s people, but go with the good news that because God loves and cares for every single person in this world so do we.
“As you go”, Jesus says, “make disciples of all nations.” Jesus cares about this because he has ‘skin-in-the-game’. He died for each and every one we encounter as we go about our lives.
How do we, as individuals and a church, need to change so that no one in our community will feel that we don’t care about them?
Place Your Hope 24th Day in Lent (Tuesday) Read: 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 “On [God] we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers.” 2 Corinthians 10b-11a (NIV)
I was homesick. I had left Australia filled with a spirit of adventure to the UK and had found myself in a busy home looking after someone else’s children as a nanny. The first weeks flew by as I settled into the children’s routine and the routine of the house. But then I started to think of home and my family in Adelaide. They were such a long way away and I yearned for something familiar. Then, came a letter and every week there was another – my faithful mother wrote an aerogramme letter every week to me. This became my source of comfort and I in turn wrote every week back sharing all my needs, joys and concerns. I placed my hope in this letter knowing my mum understood. Our Heavenly Father also understands our needs, concerns and worries and listens and comforts us. As a sinful human we know that we will experience troubles, homesickness, pain and hurt because that is all part of being a human.
God doesn’t want us to hurt any more than He wants us to sin, but no matter what, He is always there sharing His love with us through all His letters (The Bible). We can rely on our loving Father to provide us with every good thing. He loved us so much that He sent His one and only Son to the cross to forgive us and provide a way for our salvation. That truly is a God who loves. So, place your hope in a God who doesn’t change, who listens to all your prayers, who understands all your pain and hurt, and who forgives you unconditionally.
Paul in his second letter to the people of Corinth, wanted to tell them all about this God who is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,” (verse 3). This loving God gives us the example of how to care and comfort people so that we in turn can show this same care and comfort to others. So, place your trust and hope in a God who knows and understands!
Prayer: My loving God, thank you for the way you understand me. You know what I need before I ask for help. Help me to understand your ways so that I too may share them with others. Amen. 3
God Knows Better 23rd Day in Lent (Monday) Read: 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)
The story of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter follows the story of a little rabbit who thinks he knows everything and what is best, when realistically he should have listened to his mother. Peter’s mother warned her four children – Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter to have fun but not to go into Mr McGregor’s garden, for that is where their father was made into a rabbit pie. Disobedient Peter did go into the garden and had his fill of the vegetables growing there but then was chased by Mr McGregor where he lost his shoes and his jacket which got caught on a net.
He hid in a watering can filled with water until his sneeze gave him away, he was chased again and finally escaped under the gate. He was so exhausted when he got home that he was put to bed with only chamomile tea while his sisters had a lovely supper. It is very easy to think that we know better than God. The Bible (God’s Word) was written so long ago, is it even relevant? God does know what is best for us and warns us to stay out of the forbidden places where we could get hurt. In the Bible reading, God tells us that His love never fails. When we were younger (in our faith) we accepted God’s love, grace and forgiveness most of the time without question. God told us not to do something and hopefully we obeyed. With a more mature faith, we can understand more the cost of our disobedience (sin) and how that hurts us and others around us. We know we need to listen to God, but sometimes over the fence in the garden, everything looks so much better.
God has assured us of His love. He forgives us continually. He has shown us His love through Jesus’ death on the cross and then overcoming death by rising again. And He has given us the promise and hope of spending eternity in heaven. Listen to God, He really does know better!
Prayer: Loving Father, you love me with an unconditional love which surrounds me every day. Help me to rely on you for wisdom and to listen to your guiding me. Bring me to your eternal home. Amen
Unsurpassed Love 4th Sunday during Lent Read: 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 “Love is patient, love is kind… It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 4a, 7 (NIV)
My husband and I have just celebrated thirty years of marriage. The above verses were not the text for our wedding, but I do know that this is a favourite for many couples about to be married. This verse is filled with optimism for a future filled with love. It is a verse encouraging each person to live in this love knowing that only a love f illed with God and the Holy Spirit can get through all the tough times.
This sort of love always has the best intentions for the other person; it protects them from any hurts of body, mind and spirit; it trusts that the other person will be there through thick and thin; there are shared hopes and dreams; and that one person will never give up on the other. Such a marriage, for those who have been married for a while, seems almost ‘pie in the sky’, unrealistic and possibly naive, but those entering marriage don’t think so and look at their future with love, hopes and dreams. God wants us to have this sort of love not just as a married couple but also for all our relationships, whether it be between family members, parents, friends and church members. The love we have for each other needs to be filled with God’s love.
There will also be people that perhaps we do not like, but God calls us to love them. We need to love them with a servant heart, always putting their interests above our own and praying for their future. God has this love for each of us.
He is patient and kind when we say unkind things. He will protect us with His angels; we can always trust that God has our best interests at heart. We know that our future is secured and that is where we place our hope. God will never give up on us but comes back to us again and again with His forgiveness and love. For us as humans, this sort of love can seem impossible, but with God it surpasses all our understanding. Know that God’s love is unsurpassed!
Prayer: Lord God, thank you for your incredible love for me. I cannot understand this depth of love that gives His only Son to save me. Help me to pass this love on to those around me. Amen.