A friend of mine who recently became a father began musing on the origins of man. Why is it that we assume God created Adam as a full-grown man? There is little in the Biblical text that would answer the question of Adam's age definitively. From a Creationist standpoint, it is easier to defend the apparent discrepancy between scientific analysis of the earth's age and the Biblical narrative if we can say God created Adam as a full grown man, so he could have also created the earth itself with age. But Jerad's question remains an interesting one.
Both as a parent and a children's minister, I am constantly amazed by the developmental stages of children, and in awe of their sheer capacity to learn. When creating life, would God have wanted to skip those incredible years? Wouldn't God have wanted to cradle Adam, nurture him, and sustain him in the most fundamental ways that bring parents such joy? Could it be that God and Adam enjoyed the most intimate parent/child relationship EVER?
Thinking through this question, which seems to be a purely academic query, led me to analyze my philosophy of ministry to children. Is there something about God's creation of man that informs how I relate to kids, how I teach them, how I encourage them to grow in relationship with God? For years, I have used Mark 10:14 to support my view that children are important to God. While this is certainly true, and an appropriate use of the verse, do Jesus' words here do more than fill children's ministry brochures? Was He perhaps not introducing a new concept, but reaffirming what has always been true from the beginning? In shifting my understanding of who Adam was, can I perhaps see how God created children? Does this change how I, and the church as a whole, approach Christian education of children? So many people I talk with believe that kids need religious instruction so they have a good solid Christian foundation for later in life. Solid doctrine is good and valuable in its own right, but what if we started believing that kids need God, because that's why God created them! He wants to be in fellowship with them from the moment of birth, the way He originally designed it.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Milk or Meat?
Which is worse? A five year old who still drinks from a bottle, or a ten year old who doesn't know how to use a fork or knife, and makes his mother cut his food and feed him?
That is the image I see when I look around my church. Programs that continue to serve pre-cut meat to people unwilling to learn how to use tools to feed themselves. Sunday morning sermons that dig deep into Scripture for nourishing meat, ignoring the need for milk of younger Christians. Adult Sunday School classes that encourage a lifetime of discipleship training provided by church leaders. Wednesday evening prayer meetings that bring together God's people for intensive prayer sessions. Where's the milk? Where's the incentive to self-feed?
What would happen if the pastor decided to preach down? Not water down the truth of the gospel, but make it digestible for young Christians, or even (gasp!) non-Christians. Would the saints of the church leave because they were no longer being fed? Or would they get excited about a church that would welcome their unsaved friends and neighbors? What if Sunday mornings became a time for believers to stop worrying if they like the sermon, and start worrying if it is making an impact on the lost?
What would happen if we didn't expect every adult to be part of a Sunday School class? Would we have more people willing to lead a class for those who really need to encounter God's truth? Would mature Christians take on the responsibility for their own spiritual growth?
What would happen if we didn't have "church" three times a week? Would the Church be more effective at engaging with the larger community?
What would happen if we stopped "doing church" and started being the Church?
That is the image I see when I look around my church. Programs that continue to serve pre-cut meat to people unwilling to learn how to use tools to feed themselves. Sunday morning sermons that dig deep into Scripture for nourishing meat, ignoring the need for milk of younger Christians. Adult Sunday School classes that encourage a lifetime of discipleship training provided by church leaders. Wednesday evening prayer meetings that bring together God's people for intensive prayer sessions. Where's the milk? Where's the incentive to self-feed?
What would happen if the pastor decided to preach down? Not water down the truth of the gospel, but make it digestible for young Christians, or even (gasp!) non-Christians. Would the saints of the church leave because they were no longer being fed? Or would they get excited about a church that would welcome their unsaved friends and neighbors? What if Sunday mornings became a time for believers to stop worrying if they like the sermon, and start worrying if it is making an impact on the lost?
What would happen if we didn't expect every adult to be part of a Sunday School class? Would we have more people willing to lead a class for those who really need to encounter God's truth? Would mature Christians take on the responsibility for their own spiritual growth?
What would happen if we didn't have "church" three times a week? Would the Church be more effective at engaging with the larger community?
What would happen if we stopped "doing church" and started being the Church?
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Embarrassed to be a Christian?
Let me start by saying that I am NOT ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. To be washed in the blood of the Lamb is by far the greatest honor ever bestowed on humanity. It is the really, really stupid comments made by Christians, which fuel a growing disdain among the secular world, that make me really angry and make me hang my head in shame.
On a positive note, I will first mention a fellow Christian who brings glory to the name of Christ. Our local newpaper ran an article about a local police officer who recently moved his family from a safe, "Christian" suburb to an inner city neighborhood in which they had been volunteering. After visiting the area for church service projects and getting to know the people through regular volunteer work, he and his wife felt that God was calling them to become part of the community and minister to the people through living among them. Although the neighborhood has had its share of violence, he said that God did not call them to be safe, but to reach the poor and neglected of society.
Contrast this attitude of sacrificial living with an article that appeared in the same paper on the same day. With all the recent violence in Kenya, many missions organizations are working to get their missionaries and workers back to the States for their safety. One area family whose daughter has been serving in Kenya borrowed $10,000 to arrange for a chartered helicoptor to airlift her out and bring her home. (In the end, it was not necessary; other transportation was secured.)
Should we be concerned for the safety of those called to serve God? Of course; I'm not saying they must face the risks on their own. But should we use that as an excuse to remove ourselves from the violence that threatens many Christians around the world on a daily basis? Where is our willingness to model Christ and lay down our lives for those who need Him?
A second piece of news that made me cringe concerned a Baptist group that protested near a memorial service for the family of 5 from Maryland that were killed by a drunk driver during the holidays. Apparently this family lived near a town that the church group had sued, so their deaths are considered God's retribution on a community that messed with God's people. I'm really not sure what Bible they are reading if they believe that is the way God metes out punishment. Every Christian should be praying for the driver who caused the accident, supporting the surviving family members, working to prevent future tragedies like this, or doing something other than pronouncing judgment in God's name.
Of course, reading about these events make me wonder. If details of my life appeared in the newspaper, would Christ's name be exalted? Am I living my life connected to the mission of Jesus? Or do I contribute to the distrust that keeps non-Christians from embracing the gospel of Jesus Christ?
On a positive note, I will first mention a fellow Christian who brings glory to the name of Christ. Our local newpaper ran an article about a local police officer who recently moved his family from a safe, "Christian" suburb to an inner city neighborhood in which they had been volunteering. After visiting the area for church service projects and getting to know the people through regular volunteer work, he and his wife felt that God was calling them to become part of the community and minister to the people through living among them. Although the neighborhood has had its share of violence, he said that God did not call them to be safe, but to reach the poor and neglected of society.
Contrast this attitude of sacrificial living with an article that appeared in the same paper on the same day. With all the recent violence in Kenya, many missions organizations are working to get their missionaries and workers back to the States for their safety. One area family whose daughter has been serving in Kenya borrowed $10,000 to arrange for a chartered helicoptor to airlift her out and bring her home. (In the end, it was not necessary; other transportation was secured.)
Should we be concerned for the safety of those called to serve God? Of course; I'm not saying they must face the risks on their own. But should we use that as an excuse to remove ourselves from the violence that threatens many Christians around the world on a daily basis? Where is our willingness to model Christ and lay down our lives for those who need Him?
A second piece of news that made me cringe concerned a Baptist group that protested near a memorial service for the family of 5 from Maryland that were killed by a drunk driver during the holidays. Apparently this family lived near a town that the church group had sued, so their deaths are considered God's retribution on a community that messed with God's people. I'm really not sure what Bible they are reading if they believe that is the way God metes out punishment. Every Christian should be praying for the driver who caused the accident, supporting the surviving family members, working to prevent future tragedies like this, or doing something other than pronouncing judgment in God's name.
Of course, reading about these events make me wonder. If details of my life appeared in the newspaper, would Christ's name be exalted? Am I living my life connected to the mission of Jesus? Or do I contribute to the distrust that keeps non-Christians from embracing the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Theological Observations of a Three Year Old
Christmas is a very exciting holiday for a three year old, especially one as full of life as my nephew Isaac. Let's face it - parties, cookies, candy, Transiberian Orchestra (you should see him dance to their music!), lights, SNOW, and presents! Any of those alone are enough to get anyone in a holiday spirit; all of them together, it's no wonder he can't contain his excitement!
Yet he wondered the other day, as he and my sister finished wrapping more gifts, why hasn't he seen Jesus at any of the Christmas parties he's been to? After all, Jesus is the birthday boy, so where was He? And how can Isaac give Him a present if he never sees Him? And then, the best statement- "I know I can't see Him at home, but I should see Him at church, because that's His house."
I am not trying to give Isaac too much credit for deep theological analysis here; I understand the limitations of a three year old's thinking processes. But his comments made me wonder. How many adults will ask themselves these same questions following this Christmas? How many will come into our churches this weekend, looking for the birthday boy, and fail to see Him? How many of us church leaders will get so caught up in the party that we forget to invite the guest of honor?
I pray that I will remember to invite Him, that the kids I minister to will see Jesus, and that we all come before Him ready, just like Isaac, to offer Him our gift of worship.
Yet he wondered the other day, as he and my sister finished wrapping more gifts, why hasn't he seen Jesus at any of the Christmas parties he's been to? After all, Jesus is the birthday boy, so where was He? And how can Isaac give Him a present if he never sees Him? And then, the best statement- "I know I can't see Him at home, but I should see Him at church, because that's His house."
I am not trying to give Isaac too much credit for deep theological analysis here; I understand the limitations of a three year old's thinking processes. But his comments made me wonder. How many adults will ask themselves these same questions following this Christmas? How many will come into our churches this weekend, looking for the birthday boy, and fail to see Him? How many of us church leaders will get so caught up in the party that we forget to invite the guest of honor?
I pray that I will remember to invite Him, that the kids I minister to will see Jesus, and that we all come before Him ready, just like Isaac, to offer Him our gift of worship.
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