Business As Usual

 

So, here we go...

Little by little businesses across the US are starting to re-open.  Of course, everyone's notion of what the looks like seems to vary - and that's simply because there is no 100% accurate way to measure what "re-opening" should look like.  The government doesn't know.  The WHO doesn't know. Doctors and scientists and even religious folk don't know.  And, of course, you or I don't know either. In a sense it is all up for grabs.  Wear a mask - don't wear a mask. Practice social distancing in some places, gather for riots in close proximity to others in other places.  Nobody knows what to do.

And, yet, here we go...

I've been trying to get a sense of what churches are doing in the midst of this "almost re-opening" season and what I am finding is a bit surprising - and disturbing.

Trust me - I have served in Christian churches for over four (4) decades so I fully understand the need for pastors and church staff to "get back to normal" by creating worship experiences that include familiar music, meaningful times of prayer and sermons that both encourage and call to action new ways of living our lives for the Kingdom.

But... here we go...

Back to business as usual.  Back to the same old same old.  Back to "doing church" the same way we always "do church" with - what - a hope that suddenly everyone will hop onto the bandwagon and join in with something they barely were connected to before the pandemic?

Do we honestly need sermon series on topics like Living a Godly Life, or Tithing, or 30 Ways To Pray, or How To Follow Jesus... I am asking seriously - is that what we need right now?  Bible talks? Churchy music performed for us by well-skilled and well-meaning musicians?  

I don't think so.

It occurs to me that what people - all people - so desperately need right now - right now in the midst of pandemics, right now in the midst of racial tensions, right now in the midst of fear and stress and hopelessness - what people need right now is NOT another sermon or another well-performed song about God.  

What people need is JESUS - not in word, but in DEED.

People need to BE loved.

People need to BE welcomed.

People need to BE heard.

People need to BE met with open arms.

People don't need "the church structure" - they need "the church people" doing first and foremost what Jesus calls us to do... listen, come alongside, love, heal, restore... 

This is not the time to "get back to normal" because, unless I'm way off base here (and I may be, but I don't think so) - doing church "back to normal" has not been working for us for a long, long time.  

Jesus told us to feed His sheep.

Let's get back to doing what JESUS did... even if it does not appear to be "normal."