Keeping a Holy Lent: Day 13

What are the things we are absolutely unwilling to release?

Those are the things we need to sacrifice first on the altar.

I don't remember who said that on a panel last week.
I believe it was one of our Regional Ministers.

But it was such a good thought to me that I wrote it down.

The question was "What is the future of the Mainline Church?"
The answer was that the future has two possibilities: dissipate into irrelevance or learn to adapt.

Obviously, the hoped-for response is learn to adapt.
And how?

We begin to ask ourselves what we are absolutely unwilling to release about church as we know it.
And then we say to God, "Even this, if you need it."

That's hard.

I started thinking about my own experience of the church.
What is it that I hold so close to my heart that I cannot fathom it would be church without it?
Communion, of course, but I'm not sure you COULD remove that and still call yourselves a Disciples of Christ church.  It's in our Design, and thus, it's part of our definition.

But what I do hold dear is how we do communion.
I like unleavened bread and grape juice.
Would I be willing to sacrifice that?

I saw a creative pastor one time offer milk and cookies for communion.
Another time I saw cheez-its and Pepsi.

Could I let that be ok?
If it were the difference in irrelevance and adaption, could I let that be what it is?

I think I could.
But maybe after a while I would miss the sweet tang of the grape juice.
Maybe I would begin to hate the tang of a cheez it and the fizz of a soda.
Maybe it wouldn't feel like church any more if it were that way.

I don't know.

But I know that I'm thinking about it now.

What is it for you?
Is it hymns?
Which hymns?
Or is it the act of holding the hymn book?
If the words were printed on paper or shown on the screen, would a hymn still be a hymn to you?

What about the sermon?
Could it be church without a sermon?

Or pews?
Or potlucks?
Or the Lord's Prayer?

What is it that you're unwilling to sacrifice and still call it church?

Would it matter if someone could promise you that your church would survive the next 50 years?
Would that change your answer?

I learned of a church this past week that was all done through creative expression.
She called it the Dancing Church.
All of their worship was through movement and music.
No sermon.
No formal prayers.
And it was doing great!

Could that be church for you?

I don't have any answers to the future of the church.
But I know that being at the conference last week helped me think about it differently.
I'm asking myself some hard questions that are hopeful, rather than dismal.
And I like it.

I hope you'll begin to dream with me about what the church could be if we were willing to sacrifice that which we think is essential.  It's an exciting feeling to sense the Spirit's creative work in my midst.  May it be so in you, as well.