What is your experience with Jesus? I know that is a loaded question, but it is an important one, at least, I think it is. I ask it because as 2007 gets rolling, the news media is often heard telling the world about what different religious faiths believe. They will tell you about Islam or Judaism or about Christianity, as if the world doesn't know anything.
I suspect that almost everyone in this nation, at least, has some preconceived idea of what Christianity is. Perhaps we also have our ideas of what other religions are about too. But where do they get those ideas? Did you have an experience with Christians somewhere that colored your thinking about what the faith is about? Was it a good or a not-so-good experience? Perhaps you read some books on faith or you have heard sound-bytes on the television and determined that you knew everything there was to know.
So when you get invited to any number of churches, mine included, you might think that you already know who we are and what we are about. You might think that we are here to tell you how to live your life. Or you might think that we are going to spend our time telling you how bad you are. (I always have to laugh inside at preachers who think they know how bad I am.) I determined a long time ago that there isn't anything I can guess or say that you don't already know. I suspect most people already know if they have messed up their life or not.
What I hope you hear when you come to church, especially at China Spring, is that there is hope for your life and for all of us. After all, none of us have ever gotten it all together. So as a pastor, I believe that our job is to help you find your way through all of the confusion about what church is to get to the real point of it all. And what is the point? Well, you may laugh at my simplistic answer, but the point of it all is Jesus. Jesus is the point of our life and he is the point of our death.
So, regardless of what you may think we are about at church, what we want to be is a place and a people who help you experience Jesus Christ in such a way that life begins to make sense. We want you to find hope in the midst of your worst dark night.
If you would like to talk about it, come on by. I'd love to discuss it with you.
See you on Sunday! Allen
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Several weeks ago, our family experienced a great joy of seeing our new nephew being baptized at another church. This church was full of tradition and had a different type of service.
When we entered the building we were greeted and we were offered a cup of coffee. There were various people of different ages standing by to help us with any questions that we had and directed us to the nursery and restrooms.
The nursery was brightly decorated and had a full staff of adults ready to help us. They also had a library of movies and equipment to keep our little ones entertained while we attended the service.
This church service was much different than ours at China Spring. It is a church filled with readings (out of different books), crosses being carried into the congregation, kneeling, standing, and singing. It took several of us just to keep our place in the bulletin there was so much going on. I enjoyed the service and was glad that I experience such a different service. This service was VERY formal and it was steeped in tradition.
We were instructed to sit on the first 5 rows of the left hand side of the church. During this time I could tell that we were definitely setting in someone’s seat and that they were not to happy with us being there, but there was another member that refused to give up his regular seat and sat there during the service. I just figured that they had not communicated to the members about all the visitors coming to the service, but I thought what if I was a visitor to this church would I be back? Probably not, although the greeters were helpful.
As the preacher stood to deliver his message, I just knew that he was going to speak in old English:) but to my surprise he gave a very funny, down to earth message that kept everyone’s interest. He was a very gentle man in a very overwhelming building. Nothing like what I though his message would be. His message was the opposite of what my eyes told me to expect.
As we walked out to our cars, I noticed that there were some homeless people coming out of the church. They had their earthly belongings in their dirty and worn backpacks. Members of the congregation were offering them a hot meal and coffee for the day.
I heard several people, I supposed that they were non-members, make comments about why in the world would THOSE people be in church.
All week long I have though about it and really has wore on my spirit that people would say such a thing. I have wondered why this particular man was homeless and what circumstance lead up to his situation. I wondered if he was looking for hope or maybe just a hot meal or just a kind word.
As I read your blog, What is your experience with Jesus, I again thought about the man. What had his experience been, did he finally get up the nerve to go to church or did he attend regularly. How quick his experience would change if he had heard the comments from the passersby. He was experiencing the love of Jesus by the church member’s kind words and deeds. Would his experience change if he had heard “What are those people doing in church”?
Our community is rapidly changing and we have people in China Spring that need our help in many different ways. I believe that the best way to experience Jesus is to open your heart to helping another by having a food pantry, local clothes drives,or another type of local service, but we as a church must be willing to give without asking so many questions that people feel embarrassed to turn to the church to look for hope.
I know that Jesus would be the first to give up HIS seat for a visitor... and I know that you would too!
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