We were talking about Jesus in church the past couple weeks, and as a little intro we watched these little videos from vintage21. They are absolutely hilarious so prepare to laugh out loud.
Jesus Videos from Vintage21 on google video.
Now this is some unconventional church stuff.
I always get annoyed at our focus on holidays as seasons go by, so I thought I’d jump the gun and start talking about Christmas before anybody else!
I’ll leave black Friday alone, and ask that we all take a look at Christmas. We live in a very consumeristic culture, and we live on a “everybody else is doing it” mentality. Christmas is a prime example of this.
I’d like for you to think long and hard about the simple possiblity that Buying Nothing on the holidays this year might be an incredibly wise thing for you to do.
That’s all for now, I’ll leave you with a short little video interview talking about buy nothing Christmas.
Picked this up from a church’s booth at the AIDS walk. Any thoughts?
One of the reason I’m an advocate for ditching church as we normally do it is because it avoids relationships. Most would say, well that is what a small group is for. In bigger churches I think your absolutely right, and that’s a good thing I guess.
I understand bigger churches, especially when there is a great preacher. There are a handful of sermons I download regularly to listen to during the week, and if I lived in those towns I’d probably check them out on Sunday. There is a church in my hometown that has grown immensly, and I think it is largely do to the head pastors wonderful preaching. So, don’t get me wrong I understand the appeal of a good sermon.
For me though, that just doesn’t seem what the church should centrally be about. One of the first things that is said about the early meetings of believers is “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teachings and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Now, I’m not arguing we shouldn’t have teaching, I just think we’ve put far too much focus on it, and we lack the fellowship and the close knit community that is so necessary, or beneficial, to carrying out the teachings and the gospel itself.
I’m weary of going to church on Sunday, hearing a sermon, making a little small talk and then going home. There’s something missing.
Furthering my thoughts on my last post, I want to submit that there is a great danger to the big church building projects especially as it relates to non-Christians.
Take a look at your Bible. If it’s the same as mine the scriptures are full of a call for Christians to pour themselves out on behalf of others. It is a totally reversed idea from what culture says. We are called to sacrifice for the sake of others, to put others needs before our own, etc. And most non-Christians know that, at least some of it.
What message does our huge fancy buildings send to the world? It says that we are very interested in our own well being. It says that we some how reconcile the call to care for the poor, the poor on our streets, and our big building all together in this religion of ours. How does any of this make sense?
I’ll tell you, this is a struggle for me, and I guarantee you it is something non-Christians wonder too. Those who come to our comfortable, fancy churches and like it stay, not because of the radical call of Christianity, but because of the comfortable, country-club style church we’ve created (not everyone, but I would submit a lot of people). I’m gonna get in trouble for saying that.
I ran into this problem near the end of my time at the Christian college I attended. This is “fancy” place. They just spent $21 million on a new student center for the 2400 students that go there. In the classes we talked about the radical call to care for others, but we do it all the while with this underlying presumption that we can follow this radical call and at the same time maintain this extravagant lifestyle that we are offered at the college. Now, this is not to say my education was worthless, or the people there are horrible. I had an incredible education, and the people (staff, peers, admin) are wonderful, this does not take away from that.
What I am trying to say is that our buildings send a message about our values, and I think they send a message of values in the wrong places.
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