Coming out of the COVID pandemic in the past few weeks has prompted me to write and speak about the purpose of the church. In the face of horrific news of two more mass shootings in the past week, this message seems even more important. For this reason I am giving a brief account here of what I've been thinking.
The words of what we know as the Lord’s Prayer are not just
flowery language. When Jesus prays, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on
earth as it is in heaven.” he was sincere and sober in his petition. What
we see in the world around us is a clash of kingdoms. The Kingdom of God is
contested by the kingdoms of the world and the desires of those who are not
aligned with God.
For reasons of free will and factors which I am not wise enough to
either understand or explain, this world remains broken. History rolls on with
human atrocities and pain 2,000 long years after Jesus came to bring the
Kingdom of God to us with power. This is what I and a long list of theologians
describe as living in the “already but not yet.” To paraphrase Dallas Willard,
the Kingdom of God is a grassroots movement of men and women who show true
allegiance to Jesus. This kingdom movement cuts across all lines: ethnicity,
gender, nationality and geography. It means that God’s kingdom is present in
the lives of his people in the midst of the mess of this world. The Kingdom of
God is already present among us, but it is not yet fully realized. God has yet
to bring judgment on this world and put an end to evil. We trust that he will
do this, but as yet we are called to live and act in ways that introduce his
priorities and his love to a world that so frequently rejects and denies him.
The question, “What are we doing here?” is specifically directed
toward this priority. To my beloved Conejo church family and similar
members of the body of Christ throughout the world, I ask, “In the midst
of a world that is so out of step with the priorities of Christ, what are we doing
here?” The massive negative effects of the pandemic which kept us at home and
separated from each other are largely over. So what are we doing now? How are
we living differently as the body of Christ in the communities where God has
placed us? How are our priorities and Christ-life being lived out in ways that
show a different kingdom priority to the community around us?
Part of the answer to these questions rests in the ministry
initiatives we have carried on for a long time. At The Conejo Valley Church of
Christ, and I am sure in your congregations as well, many of our special
programs are designed to continue to tell the only story that matters; the only
story that can change lives and bring real hope. When we come together for Good
Friday or for Advent activities, we have long tried to approach these days with
creativity and passion to make God’s love evident to all who would come and
see. When our kids go to camp or enjoy VBS, or on mission trips with the less
fortumate, we find many fun and memorable ways to tell them that there is hope
and life found in Christ that exists in no other way. Every Sunday, we sing
songs of faith and praise. We gather and share in earnest prayer for our world.
Each Sunday we gather around the table for communion to remember what God has
done on our behalf through the death and resurrection of Jesus. In the midst of
the shootings and the hatred, the conflict and the brokenness, we hold up a
light that shines in the darkness and even this present darkness has not
overcome it.
My prayer for each of you, my beloved brothers and sisters, is
that you will see that what we do each week, month after month, year in and
year out, makes an eternal difference. Please engage. Please bring others into
places and events where they can hear and see. Please take part in what God is
doing through his body in these places – through us. Please help answer the
prayer of Jesus and help his kingdom come and his will be done on earth as it
is in heaven. That, my friends is what we are doing here. To paraphrase authors
of Scripture, let us not grow weary or lose heart in doing good.
Please reflect and pray about your part in God’s Kingdom business
in your community, your church, your home.
Blessings,
Jack
