Don’t mind me; I’m just in the middle of another one of my paradigm shifts. September 9, 2008

I think the reason my blog is titled “all the junk that’s floating around in my head” is because I feel that’s the way my head works.  It’s a jumbled up mess of a bunch of random thoughts, but on occasion they come together, make connections, and then I type them out and post them here for you to comment on and assure me that I’m still a sane person.  This is one of those days…

 

I was reading an article in a Christian publication this past weekend that was talking about how being similar and identical are two different things.  The author’s argument was that “denominationalism” strives to be similar to the early church, while “the Lord’s true church” is identical to the early church.  And the remainder of the article covered such topics as the use of instrumental music and partaking of the Lord’s Supper too much/not enough.

 

It’s the too much that really struck a cord with me.  Evidently it’s sinful to have communion at weddings and funerals.  I guess we’re not supposed to remember Jesus and proclaim the Lord’s death during those events.  It claimed that weddings are not “worship services.”  Welp, sorry to disappoint because I’m pretty sure the celebration of a new covenant with God has something, in some round about way, to do with worship.  But I could be wrong I suppose.  It cited the part of Acts that talks about the early Christians “coming together on the first day of the week to break bread.”  But fails to mention the earlier part of that book where it’s talking about the believers being dedicated to breaking bread together, praying together, and meeting frequently in one another’s home to do such things. 

 

My next thought is this: why do we want to be like the early church?  Why not just desire to be like Jesus instead?  Peter and Paul had faults like everyone else.  They had their weaknesses and their own issues of shortsightedness.  And my general feel of the New Testament is not that it’s a bunch of rules on how worship service is to be done, but instead a book of encouraging stories to help transform the Christian into a more Christ-like being.  It imparts wisdom and guidance on issues of morality and gives examples of how to and how not to serve God with our lives.  If God wanted us to sum His story up into a listing of a few rules for what we can and can not do in worship I think He would have provided us with a listing of some sort like He did that other time with that Moses guy.  I think by making rules out of a beautiful story we are limiting the power of God, and that my friends, is not something I want to be in the business of doing. 

 

I just keep realizing more and more how much Christianity in the US has become about what happens on Sunday mornings in a church building.  I just don’t think that’s what Christ had in mind.  Particularly since I can recall no stories about Jesus going to Sunday school and then services followed by a potluck in the “multi purpose” room. 

 

I was in an antique shop the other day and saw an old magazine that had a picture of Princess Diana on the front of it.  Which made me think about Mother Theresa.  (I know that might seem like a stretch, but they died the same week, so I always associate those memories.)  And maybe it was because I had just read the aforementioned article but it made me think about her life.  It made me think about how the traditional church of Christ worldview would tell me to say that Mother Theresa was such a good person, but because she’s not like me she’s not a Christian.  But I can say this; I think her life reflected Christ much more than mine does, and much more than most people I know.  She chose something different than this cushy watered-down version of Christianity.  She chose to live out the message, to bless the widows and the orphans.  She didn’t think, “I’ll be blessed because I hunger and thirst for righteousness,” but instead she sought to bless the meek, the poor, the hungry, the oppressed, and the “hopeless.”  She brought to them the hope of Christ.  I need to live my life more that way.  I really, really do.

 

Maybe the first part of this post and the second part don’t seem to go together to you.  But for me, it all is one big coherent thought in my mind.  Just more insight into how Christ following should present itself in my life and how my priorities have been changing and (I think) growing.  I need to blog more.  I’m unloading way too much at one time.