Church Done Right-er…

I attend a church called Scottsdale Vineyard. At the moment we are not gathering in Scottsdale and we have no building that we can call home. That probably does not meet the criteria for definition of what most people would call a church.

But we do have something uncommon. We have a close, tight-knit, in-each-other’s-lives-almost-daily group of people who love each other and Jesus. We do so many things together, have so much fun together on a regular basis that it is unlike anything I have had before as a church experience. We are family.

This whole “thing of ours” developed organically, naturally, not in a planned manner. It grew out of love for one another and our shared commitment to advance God’s kingdom here on earth. And it has come with it’s challenges.

Every family argues and fights sometimes. Every family has moments when it thinks “I’ve had it with these people! ” And we have gone through many of the classic situations you might experience in a family: misunderstandings that hurt people’s feelings, mis-communications in the retelling that lead to anger, the frustration of feeling you are not being heard, or of feeling pressured, or that these people have no right to tell me what to do! Its annoying and messy… and wonderful.

“Genuine acceptance removes fear and hiding, and creates freedom to know and to be known. In this freedom arises a fellowship and sharing so honest and open and real that the persons involved dwell in one another. There is union without loss of individual identity. When one weeps, the other tastes salt. It is only in the Triune relationship of Father, Son and Spirit that personal relationship of this order exists, and the early Church used the word ‘perichoresis’ to describe it. The good news is that Jesus Christ has drawn us within this relationship, and its fullness and life are to be played out in each of us and in all creation.” -Dr. Baxter Kruger

We are like a family in another way: we stick together. Walk away sometimes – sure. Take a breather or a break, spend less time together for a season – you betcha. But we are not gone, we did not give up, we haven’t shuffled off to find a new family while we spurn the old. “Blood is thicker than water” and we are bound together by blood and love, both handed down to us and through us from God. We are practicing genuine acceptance of each other, warts and all, foibles and failings.

And damn it this is hard sometimes!! The temptation to say “Okay, NOW I have had enough and it is time to go” can be very strong. The belief that the grass is greener somewhere else can overtake your thoughts every now and again. And just like in a marriage, the temptation to believe that “It’s just not worth the effort anymore” can creep in.

But would anyone argue that best marriages, the best friendships, the closest families are those which have endured despite the difficulties? It forges them like iron! It adds the character, the depth, the flavor that less mature relationships can never have. And there is a sense of security you have with those loved ones that cannot be gained another way.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame… Hebrews 12:1-2

The bible makes it very clear that Jesus had his own struggle with what he had to do, that he asked the Father if he might be released from the task before him, but he endured even a brutal execution and humiliating death because he saw a joyful result beyond the pain. In this way, as in so many others, he is our exemplar. Notice too that the bible does not say that Jesus just grit his teeth and did his duty like a good soldier. He didn’t heave a heavy sigh and say “By your command Father” and force his way through the pain like a man walking against blizzard winds. He was motivated by the JOY! He saw a glorious end result and he kept it in mind.

Jesus said in John 13:34-35 that all men would know we are his disciples by having love for one another. What?! That verse always bugged me because I thought, “Lots of people love one another that are not Jesus disciples so how is that any proof?!” But the bible is a very funny thing, it has layer-upon-layer of meaning that can only be revealed through time, experience, prayer, and persistence. There are many treasures to be found but not all of them are easily gained. Too often to count I have had the experience of recognizing that I could, only now, grasp more deeply the meaning of a verse that seemed so simple or, more commonly, that I now could understand what made no sense to me before.

The early church was so inspired by a love for Jesus and each other that they immediately began to gather together daily, meet each other’s needs, share meals and all their possessions (Acts 2:42-47). People of all social castes began mixing together, calling each other “brother” and “sister”. This was scandalous, counter-cultural behavior that was distinctive and captured the hearts of so much of the pagan world at that time that the “little Christs” (which is what the label ‘Christian’ means) spread quickly throughout the known world. People knew them by their love for one another.

That verse and the mere possibility of it’s truth only began to dawn on me as I have contemplated this experience of organic church I am having right now. It is something rather unique and inexplicable to non-theistic minds. Yeah, I know, “What an arrogant statement Tom!” Well, maybe, but it is my firm opinion based on at least a little experience and thought. Feel free to disagree and send me your examples.

I see something great in this, through this, on the other side of all this and it motivates me to keep at it. It can improve. We can love more, be more available to one another, spend less time feeling hurt or slighted and more time just appreciating one another. We could focus even more on Jesus and the Word than we do. We are not quite the 2nd chapter of Acts community, not yet.

But I see potential for our little community, potential and mission. We have got to show the world something better than what your typical mega-corporate-institutional-buildingcentered church has shown, at least on the human side, the relational side of our faith which is, after all, what Jesus instructed us to focus on and not new brochures and building projects. There is effort and toil… and a prize to be had that makes it worth it all. Church like that changes the world and spreads God’s kingdom here on earth. That is the joy set before me.