60th Anniversary

The following post was published in EBC's newsletter upon our 60th anniversary celebration.

60 years of ministry.  That’s what we celebrate this month.  I feel unqualified to say much about the majority of these years.  On October 6^th, you will get a chance to hear some testimonies from former pastors that have served Eastwood.  I have no doubt that their experiences will do much to put our church’s history and legacy into a proper perspective.

Until then, my thoughts will have to suffice!  60 years is a long time.  In less than 60 years, businesses open and close.  Homes can be built, bought, and paid for two or three times over.  Many lifetime marriages do not even last this long.  When you consider that churches have a much less sure-fire way of generating support and revenue than a business or a mortgage company, and that its members are not bound to be faithful in the same way that spouses are to each other, it is astounding that any church can last this long.

Resiliency.  That is what 60 years stands for to me.  Not perfection.  Not professionalism.  Not even unparalleled blessing.  But sheer resiliency that I believe proves Christ’s promise that the gates of hell will not overcome his Church (Matthew 16:18). 

An older, retired pastor that I know has told me that he’s thankful he was a pastor in a much simpler time.  Well, I’m thankful that I am a pastor for such a time as this.  Maybe times are a little less uncertain than the days when our nation seemed to be “more Christian,” but the testimonies of churches like Eastwood that have lasted through the changing of many times is a testimony of hope and assurance to me. 

As we approach this time of celebration, allow the testimonies, memories, and renewed acquaintances to challenge your perspective regarding our church.  You’ve heard the old saying: “you don’t have to go to church to be a Christian.”  But a singer/songwriter named Derek Webb poignantly states that “if you love [Jesus] you will love the Church.”  Not what the church has been, or what you would like it to be.  But what it is – scars and all.

Our church is resilient.  It has been “sharing, caring, and inspiring for Jesus since 1953.”  And this gives me hope as we face the future together.

Being Alive in Christ

 This Sunday we continued a sermon series entitled "Identity Matters" at EBC, based on the book of Galatians.  The following is some of the main ideas from the fourth message: "Being Alive in Chirst."

One of the things I value about Eastwood is the relaxed, friendly spirit we embody when we gather together.  Unfortunately, this spirit can be taken to extremes at times.  Before the service, parents sometimes have to grab children that take it upon themselves to crawl on the stage.  I’ve seen some grab microphones, poke at instruments, and grin really big when they are caught.  It’s not uncommon to have to defend a smart-mouthed remark or two before we can move on from our morning announcements.  Finally, once we get past all of that, we have ANOTHER visiting time that sometimes goes on a little longer than it should.  These experiences are signs of life.  When we really live out our lives together, it can sometimes get messy, out of order, and even a little chaotic.

Would you rather go to a church where the opposite extreme was the norm?  I hope Eastwood would never have this reputation, but church is sometimes thought to be a dull place where you have to sit through a boring service and do your “duty” before you get to go and do what you really want to do on Sunday.  I hate to admit it, but that is the way that I saw church when I was occasionally drug there with my grandmother.  Of course, this was a Lutheran church, so it was much more formal.  An organ always played a “prelude,” the pastor wore a robe, and an acolyte lit candles.  However, they had an informal side, and it came out AFTER the actual service was over.  They reserved their announcement time to be the very last thing after the final benediction.  The pastor would disrobe, walk out in the middle of the aisle among the people, and they had a free-for-all. 

Everyone and their dog had something to announce, from a church bake sale, to a personal birthday party.  I remember sitting through it all, my stomach growling after already being there for about an hour-an-a-half, getting furious over hands that continued to spring up with something important the whole church just HAD to know.  It took every fiber in my being not to shout: “will you all just be quite already so we can go to Luby’s?”  But that was part of the way they expressed themselves in church life.   

Christians should be “alive” in Christ.  If that means announcements run a little long, our service leans towards the informal side, or that sometimes things are a little chaotic, so be it.  Regardless of where they are at, Christians have a life in Christ that is worth experiencing.  You do not have to do anything to get that life, but you are in charge of living it out.   

 Paul describes this life in Galatians 3:29 by saying “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”  The promise this refers to goes all the way back to the first book of the Bible.  It connects the promise that God made to make Abraham’s descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and sand along the sea, with all who come to know God through faith in Christ.  In other words, it points to Jesus as the fulfillment of what God was doing from the beginning of the Bible.   

This is proof that God desires his creation to have a full life that is connected to him.  Unfortunately, his creation has not always been great at doing what it needs to do to experience this life.  In the scheme of things, our role is very small.  God is the one that has made a full and joyous life available to us through his Son. We are the ones that live it out.

Are you merely living life?  Or are you experiencing life in Christ?

The Noise Behind the Words

My grandpa is old-school.  He hates computers, avoids cell phones, and still uses the US Postal Service.  He values hard work, ambition, and determination.  He complains often about today's youth, how they have been ruined by technology, and will never understand some of the simple joys he experienced by spending time outside.

Another one of his favorite soap boxes centers around entertainment.  I know what you are thinking: "he likely decries the increase of violence, vulgar language, and sexuality in media."  Classic old person complaining, right?  Not quite.  In addition to being a former amateur boxer, I've also heard my grandpa cuss like a sailor.  It's not the content that bothers him, it's the way the content is delivered.

"You can't hear people talk in movies anymore," he'll tell me with convicted frustration.  And believe me, it's not because he doesn't turn his TV up loud enough.  He's accustomed to blaring it so loud, that when my wife and I sleep over and put our little girl down for bed, he just mutes the volume.  "You don't have to turn it all the way down," I told him on one occasion.  "I might as well, he said.  I won't be able to hear anything except the noise behind the words with it turned partially down."

Admittedly, part of the reason for this is because he is too stubborn to use a hearing aid.  But I think he may be on to something.  The movies he really loves date back to the era when sound effects were sparse, and the soundtrack consisted of classically orchestrated music.  Dialogue was crisp, clear, and pointed - mimicking the oratory that was popular during the days that the radio was the primary form of entertainment.  As technology has made leaps and bounds, so has our ability to add lots of "noise behind the words."

This is true in lots of areas, including the Church.  As Christians attempt to attract others, we must be wary of adding a lot of noise to our message.  It's one thing to focus on quality, but quality is not necessarily equal to quantity.  In fact, for many churches, a good question to ask ourselves is: "what do we do that is unnecessary?"  How much "noise" is there behind our words?  And how can we lower the volume?

What kind of "noise" keeps you from connecting with God?  What do you think your church can do without?

Why the Church is NOT a Hospital

It was Augustine that said that “the Church is a hospital for sinners.”  This statement came out of the way hospitals operated in his context.  The first hospitals were started by Christians, which is why so many of them bear religious names today.  These early Christian hospitals were not nearly as advanced or efficient as ours are today.  Depending on the time of day and people around, you may not even be guaranteed “professional” medical care.  More than anything else, the first hospitals were exactly what the name implied; a place that provided hospitality to those that needed it.   

This was a heart ministry more than it was a professional one.  It was marked by its radical willingness to accept anyone at any time, and to be with them during their time of suffering.  That IS the sense in which the church is supposed to be a hospital for sinners.  It is to be a place that recognizes that we indeed are all in this together.  One person’s struggle with sin is not theirs to bear alone, but the whole communities'.  Since we all struggle with sin, there is no “professional staff” among us that can fix us and ensure that we never deal it or its effects again.

Today, hospitals have changed.  Our medical system may not be perfect, but I am thankful for it.  Hospitals are no longer places where you MIGHT get medical care if there is a qualified doctor or nurse on duty.  They are places where this care is guaranteed.  Sure, you might have to wait longer than you’d like to receive it, the staff may not be as nice and courteous as you’d like, and you may end up paying a lot of money for it.  But you are guaranteed that the treatment you receive will be administered by individuals who have been trained and equipped to discover and fix the problem that ails you, even if they are not as hospitable as you’d like.   

This is the kind of hospital I want to take my daughter to when she is running a 105 degree fever in the middle of the night!  I could care less about having someone to hold my hand, pat me on the back, and offer sympathy.  I want someone to figure out what is wrong and to fix it - NOW!  This is a far cry from the kind of hospital Augustine envisioned when he compared the church to one.  Problems were often not fixed at the hospitals of his time.  In fact, hospitals were sometimes a last resort for those who were sick, dying, or had no other place of shelter or care. 

“Why would we want the church to be a place like that?” we might ask.  To which Augustine might reply: “because it is not the church’s job to function the way a modern hospital does.”  As much as I love the idea of a place where I can take my daughter to “fix” any kind of emergent health problem she might have, it is not up to the church to fix people spiritually.  Maybe you’ve heard well-intentioned church-goers say something like: “Well, I tell you what’s wrong with that family; they need to get back in church!”  And then what?  They won’t have any marital struggles?  Sorry, the statistics aren’t in our favor on that one.  They won’t have any financial problems?  Wrong again!  Their kids will behave like perfect angels?  I bet a poll of church nursery workers would prove that to be a fairytale.   

As difficult as it is for us to accept, the church is NOT about fixing.  It’s about leading people to repentance and faith in Jesus.  This is a never-ending task, because it addresses a never-ending need.   

Jesus tells the Pharisees that would rather fix sinners than lead them to repentance a famous parable about a prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32).  When this prodigal returned, Jesus tells the Pharisees:

"...the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate (Vv. 22-24).

Can you imagine how differently things would have gone if the father would have first tried to "fix" his son?