...than the church has made him (and it) out to be
February 21, 2019
The past couple weeks, Rev. Kelly and I have been co-leading Adult Forum, using a quote from the Franciscan friar and author Richard Rohr. I've long been intrigued by the idea that Jesus (and the Bible) are far more interesting, wild, sunny, and original than the church has made him (and it) out to be. As Kelly and I wrap up this class, I'm realizing that we're really only just beginning to explore that idea. This Sunday, I'll be inviting a discussion based on an idea Richard Rohr popularized, which is the "4 M's" cycle -- what happens when thechurch (Christianity in general through its 2000+ year history) and achurch (an individual parish) go through various stages --
-from the God-given vision of a man or woman who sees a static monument dedicated to a great purpose and seeks to recover the spirit of that purpose, and who
-starts a dynamic movement which over time others join,
-which in time becomes a machine intended to sustain the movement,
-but which over time can become a static monument dedicated to honoring the (wo)man...
-which -- to start the cycle over again! -- has its value and purpose questioned by a God-given vision to a man or woman...
The trick for churches is to fight as long and as hard as we can to stay in the movement phase of this cycle, while at the same time realizing that mechanizing has its rewards and benefits as long as the machine(s) are not ends in themselves, but rather are in service to the movement, and more importantly THE "man" -- the "pioneer and perfecter" of our faith, Jesus. See you Sunday,