The Bungee Cord 8-11-25
Hello,
We just finished Vacation Bible School at our church. The church that I attend is a small, country church that had decided that to best serve the folks around us we would invite people of all ages to an intergenerational, evening gatherings. And that is what we did. For four Wednesday evenings, kids whose teeth were yet to fall out and folks whose mouths were full of false teeth and all ages in between gathered for a meal, singing, learning, praying, and crafting. All who came, about 25 each night, remarked when it was over, that they very much enjoyed themselves.
Prior to its beginning, we encouraged people to invite their friends and neighbors. One mother with elementary aged children did so, and the reply she got back from those she invited was, “We don’t do the church thing.” Maybe you would have responded likewise.
Since I wasn’t there when the invitation was given, I don’t know exactly what is behind this answer, but I think this response says a lot to Christians who seek to grow in the love that God has for them and to make that love known to the world. What I hear in this answer is that when people think about the Christian faith, what comes to their minds is the church and not the Christ.
And I don’t blame them, for quite often what I hear coming from those who bear Christ’s name is primarily concerning the church, not the Christ….what the church and its members should be doing in the world instead of what Christ is doing….what the church can do to shape your life instead of what Jesus is doing to shape your life…what the expectation are of those who are members of the church instead of what expectations you can count on from Christ…how good you will feel because of the music at worship instead of how good you will feel because of Jesus who died and rose for you. To many people, worship, Bible study, Sunday School, youth groups, potlucks, fellowship groups, summer camps, offerings, food drives….are all church things….not Christ things.
I find this a very important thing to discover, because when the institution, the church, becomes the main thing, there’s a whole lot of things in the world that can be more entertaining, more exciting, more productive, more convenient, more relevant, and more “hip” than the church.
In saying all of this, I am not saying that the church is unimportant or un-needed. What I am saying that when it comes to the Christian faith the Christ, Jesus, is of prime importance and of ultimate necessity. The church is akin to an engine; Jesus is akin to the fuel. My Mini Cooper with its 305-horsepower engine is cool to look at and compare with the engine of a Ford Escort, but it is the fuel that is makes them both purr. The fuel is the thing.
So, maybe you, like the Vacation Bible School invitee have no desire or need to do the church thing, let me invite you to come and have Jesus do the Christ thing in you. Come to worship, Bible Study, Vacation Bible school, a pot luck, a fellowship group and be filled with the fuel that will fill you with life….life to empower you to step into the darkness of a new day, life to empower you to lift up those who have been pushed to the ground, life to empower you to love instead of hate, life to look in the mirror and see someone who God would die for, life to stand at the cliff of a grave and have no fear. Come and experience the Christ thing!
Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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