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"Do
not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised" — Jesus
(Acts 1:4b)
Dear
Saints:
The
resurrection has occurred. Now what? We spent all that time building
up to the climax, to the grand celebration, and now... well,
now—it's over. So, what are we to do? Revert back to life as
usual as if nothing of significance has occurred? Have we just made a
big to-do about nothing? If all we're going to do is fall back into
the same old rut we were in before does this indicate that we've just
celebrated something of little value with no real bearing on our
lives? Indeed, why even go to church if the faith it professes and
celebrates fails to impact my life?
Increasingly,
Americans are concluding that they don't need church and that they
can get along just fine without it. In a door-to-door survey
conducted by Willow Creek Community Church the question was asked: If
you don't go to church, why?
The number one and two reasons were that church was boring and irrelevant.
How
does one respond to this? First, I would say that there are
occasions when everything we do and experience feels boring and
irrelevant. My eight-year-old daughter will sometimes say with a
tired voice, "Daddy, what can we do?" After suggesting
several things she'll respond, "Isn't there anything else we can
do? I'm bored." My comment back to her is sometimes, "Well,
sweetie, that's just life. It can be boring sometimes, and we need to
learn to deal with it." The same goes for relevance. Sometimes
we just don't resonate with people or activities. How many times have
we read a book, watched a movie, listened to someone speak, or gone
on a date only to remain unmoved?
Like
everything else in life, church can be that way too. Church isn't
always a grand celebration. There are high-points throughout the year
that we celebrate but, as the Catholic Church calls much of the
church year, it's "Ordinary Time". A lot of what
happens in the church is "ordinary". It may not be
constantly exciting. It may sometimes feel irrelevant. But it's
always significant because—though we may not be aware of
it—it does have bearing on our lives. Like leaven, the Spirit of
Christ is at work in each of us, making us into the people God has
created us to be.
Easter
Day is over and we've hit a lull in the church year. Things may feel
boring or irrelevant. Our temptation may be to stay away until the
next big event. But Jesus encourages us with the words: "Do
not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised."
Maybe
it's been your pattern to come for Easter and disappear until St.
Matthew has another celebration. If this is so, I invite you to take
the challenge Jesus presents to us and wait until the Father sends
his promised gift. This year—starting now—make a commitment
to remain in Jerusalem. Stay at St. Matthew. Enter into our worship.
Study the Scriptures with us. Gather with us for good food, fun, and
fellowship. Stay—and see if you don't experience God's promised gift.
Christ
is risen!
Pastor
Larry |
