10-13-20

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 11, 2020
Scripture: Acts 2:42-43
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.

Thought for the Day: There are days when I wonder whether it would make sense to scrap the whole concept of church (as we know it today) and start over. For those of us who claim to follow Jesus, we must acknowledge that he never bought a building. In fact, he didn’t seem to stay in one place very long. I don’t believe there were any paid staff in the group (makes me just a bit nervous), though it was nice to have Jesus around who could make an abundance of food and wine. And there was no need to pay for health insurance with Jesus in the room. And I don’t think Jesus said much about having to pay for music licenses so that we could sing songs in worship, and include the lyrics when we livestream. Of course, we pay those licensing fees so that the artists who wrote the music can be paid. And I do think Jesus would value the time and giftedness of a song writer. I’m rambling a bit, but on Sunday I talked a lot about the simplicity of the Jesus-message and our capacity to complicate it. If you look at Christian history, there tends to be swings…some rather dramatic. In the post-pandemic world, a swing toward simplicity is likely. I don’t believe we will be scrapping the whole thing, but I see a shift in how we prioritize our time, energy and money. Part of our stewardship plans for 2021, Readying for Revival, alongside the revitalization of the Centrum (hoping to be debt free), is to find ourselves in a healthy position to be the church God needs us to be…and I’m thinking God is really going to need us to be that Love First Church.

Prayer: A revival is coming! It may not include dancing in the aisles, but there might be some dancing among the heavenly host as more of your creation experiences unconditional love. Amen!

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