Back to Church

Back to Church?

Now What? - Part 2

Sunday, August 20, 2023
Matthew 4:18-22, 10:1-8a

 As you go, make this announcement: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, and throw out demons. You received without having to pay. Therefore, give without demanding payment.

Matthew 10:7-8

Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:

(note: My wife Rev. McKenzie Sefa & I are presently preaching the same series at our respective congregations. Due to some recording difficulty at my church, I have included her version of this week’s message below. Enjoy!)

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There is no question that the global pandemic of 2020 and 2021 had a significant impact on the way we do “church.”  In some ways, the ongoing move toward building online communities for worship, study and prayer has made church more accessible for many who were previously unable to participate due to health issues, job schedules, etc.  On the other hand, there is something about gathering together in person that can’t quite be replicated, no matter how good our online offerings may be.  I have heard from laity and clergy alike over these past few years that it’s time to stop making our services and bible studies available online because we need to “get people back in church.”

There are a few problems with this theory, well-intentioned as it may be.

1. Eliminating online offerings cuts off people including shut-ins who are not otherwise able to participate.

2. There will always be online opportunities for people to choose from.  People are less likely to return to “our church” than they are to simply find another one to watch online.

3. Though we may like to blame the pandemic for our lower attendance, the truth is that church attendance in the U.S. has been in rapid decline for over two decades.  The pandemic may have sped up the process a bit, but going back to the way things were before 2020 will not address the real problems.

As of 2019, Gallup polls report that only 46% of Americans belong to a house of worship (of any religion).  This is the first time since the 1930’s that the number has dropped under 50%.  What’s more, only 30 to 35% actually attend religious services at least once or twice per month, so “belonging” to a religious institution does not always translate to participation and attendance.  Furthermore, those who identify as “nones” or having no religious affiliation has risen to between 20% and 30% depending on the study. 

This may sound like bad news for the church, but I would argue that it may actually be good news in at least two ways.

1. It is a reality check that we can’t blame any one thing for our decline and it invites us to look at ourselves more closely to evaluate why so many have felt disconnected from our congregations for so long.

2. More importantly, it gives us an opportunity to rethink our metrics.  What if physical attendance in a religious service for one hour a week is not the marker of faith we thought it was?  What if God is at work in people’s lives outside our budlings the other 167 hours of the week as well, and dare we say, even among those who will never darken our doors.

What if getting people in church was never the point? 

Jesus doesn’t gather people to worship him and pray to him.  He gathers them to teach them, to equip them, and to send them out to heal the sick, to cast out demons and even to raise the dead. 

May we go out from our church buildings and do the same.

In Over Our Heads

THIS MESSY LIFE: CHILDHOOD - PART 3

In Over Our Heads
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Exodus 1:8-14

Now a new king came to power in Egypt who didn’t know Joseph

Exodus 1:8

It’s easy to look at Israel’s slavery in Egypt and see ourselves through the eyes of their eyes as victims of oppression. We too are “God’s people” and so we have a long history of seeing ourselves as the oppressed rather than the oppressor. Societies and governments do not typically bend toward a “Christian worldview” and in most places throughout history, God’s people have found themselves in the minority.

Over the last century in America, however, we have been living in what Gil Rendle calls “an aberrant time” (Rendle, Quietly Courageous). This period of Christian prosperity was not typical in light of the overall history of God’s people. Though that time is rapidly ending, most people over the age of 30 at least have a strong memory of a time when what we considered “Christian moral values” ruled the day. God’s people were thriving, until they were not.

And so it was with the people of God in Joseph’s day. Joseph held the second highest office in the land and as a result, his brothers flourished under Pharaoh and increased in number as the twelve tribes of Israel expanded. By the time we get to Exodus, however, we find a new King in power who did not know Joseph.

“The Israelite people are now larger in number and stronger than we are. Come on, let’s be smart and deal with them. Otherwise, they will only grow in number. And if ware breaks out, they will join our enemies, fight against us, and then escape from the land.”

- Exodus 1:8-10

It seems from this introduction that the enslaved Israelites are not the only ones “in over their heads.” In fact, the only reason they were enslaved to begin with is because the Egyptians felt threatened by the presence of so many foreigners in their land. The new Pharaoh inherited what he considered to be a serious immigration problem. His solution, put them in slavery for Egypt’s benefit and discard (i.e. kill) those who are no longer useful to us. What empires may view as a sign of political strength, scripture interprets as Pharaoh’s weakness and eventual downfall. Egypt was in over their heads in how to deal with the Israelites, not because God’s people posed a genuine threat, but because they were overwhelmed by fear of “the other.”

Yes, we must always empathize with those who like Israel, find themselves oppressed and enslaved. We must always stand with Moses who, by God’s guidance and strength, leads the people out of slavery to a land of promise.

Yet we must also be very careful, for history has a way not only of repeating itself, but also turning things on their heads. The oppressed, if not careful, may themselves become the oppressors. Later in Israel’s history we will see how they build armies of chariots, marry for the sake of political alliances, worship idols, and even enslave others. They would become the very people they once despised, and the consequences would be detrimental.

No matter how much we may want to see ourselves as the victim in need of God’s salvation through a religious and political hero like Moses, perhaps we must first consider why we feel that we are in over our heads. Are we truly being oppressed, or are we perhaps more like Pharaoh, overwhelmed by how much everything is changing around us and afraid of those who are different? If this is the case, perhaps our call is not to vengeance and war, but to humility and peace, lest we too inflict harm against the “sheep of other flocks” (John 10:16) whom God loves and ourselves become enemies of the very God we claim to love.

May we not become so arrogant in identifying ourselves among God’s chosen that we forget God’s promise to Israel’s enemies… to Egypt and to Assyria:

On that Day, there will be a place of worship to God in the center of Egypt and a monument to God at its border. It will show how the God-of-the-Angel-Armies has helped the Egyptians. When they cry out in prayer to God because of oppressors, he’ll send them help, a savior who will keep them safe and take care of them. God will openly show himself to the Egyptians and they’ll get to know him on that Day. They’ll worship him seriously with sacrifices and burnt offerings. They’ll make vows and keep them. God will wound Egypt, first hit and then heal. Egypt will come back to God, and God will listen to their prayers and heal them, heal them from head to toe.

On that Day, there will be a highway all the way from Egypt to Assyria: Assyrians will have free range in Egypt and Egyptians in Assyria. No longer rivals, they’ll worship together, Egyptians and Assyrians!

On that Day, Israel will take its place alongside Egypt and Assyria, sharing the blessing from the center. God-of-the-Angel-Armies, who blessed Israel, will generously bless them all: “Blessed be Egypt, my people! . . . Blessed be Assyria, work of my hands! . . . Blessed be Israel, my heritage!”

Isaiah 19:19-25 (The Message)

Click here to listen to entire sermon series - “THIS MESSY LIFE: CHILDHOOD”