What We Do Matters

This past Sunday my church celebrated its 170th Anniversary. That’s right, we were established in 1838.

The service was wonderful. We had two members Mr. Curtis and Ms. Mott speak at the very beginning. They are two of our most dedicated members. They have won this recognition because both of them have been members for over 70 years. They told stories and shared memories. There was not a dry eye in the room. To see two saints sitting before you reflecting on how God has never stopped moving and working in the rural town of West Point was a sight to behold. It was at that time that I was reminded of just how faithful our God is and how much love our God has for all people.

That morning I preached on the future of the church. I chose to do this because I wanted to paint a picture that bookended Mr. Curtis and Ms. Mott’s time of reflection by saying the Church’s work in this world is far from over. God is still alive and God is still using us.

That morning I saw clearly Christianity’s four major movements: Creation, Fall, Reconciliation and Redemption. There is no doubt in my mind that God created this world and everything in it. Humans came along and screwed up. God forgave us through Jesus Christ. God’s children have now been commissioned to go out into the world and help further the kingdom of God by joining in the ongoing creation of the world. To me, this is the story of Christianity.

These distinctions are important to me. I fear that most Christians I speak to only see half of this picture. Mainstream Christianity seems only to paint the middle two movements. When asked what God did for humanity, Christians more often than not reply with, “God sent his son to die for us because of the sin in the world.” In other words, “We screwed up and God forgave us with Jesus’ death.” This is in no way incorrect; it is just half the story. Humanity did screw up and Jesus did die for humanity. Now what? What else is there to note?

I submit that we as Christians begin to teach the entire story. What if when a “pre-Christian” asks us to tell her/him about Jesus then we begin not with the Fall but with Creation? What if we say that God created the world and everything in it and saw that it was good? What if we say that we are here for a purpose and a reason and that God is watching over all that is in this world? I submit this paints a truer and fuller story of God. It also takes the attention off of humans and places the control in God’s hands.

The next major step is to speak openly about the Fall and God’s Reconciliation. This is the story that has been told in American culture for two hundred years. “Humans sinned and therefore fell away from God and God sent Jesus Christ as a redeeming sacrifice for our sins.” Jesus’ death was an atonement for our sins and we now can live freely in Christ because of this labor of love.

Please do not stop here. There is more to this wonderful story!

AND THEN HE DEFEATED DEATH BY RESURRECTING FROM THE GRAVE. This death-defeat means that our Savior is alive. We do not worship a dead Jesus. I, therefore, submit that since Jesus is alive he is setting out to reestablish what God originally intended for Creation. I call this Redemption. God is in the process of redeeming this earth, world and humanity. He wants to make all things new!

This means we get to partner with God to help in the redeeming process. This means we must see that all groups of people matter. World hunger matters. Social justice issues matter. Earth-keeping matters. Loving our neighbor matters. Showing mercy and grace matters. Forgiveness matters. Peace matters. Love matters. It matters to us because it matters to God. God is working through Jesus’ confessors to help bring redemption to the world. In other words, God is extending Jesus to the world through the CHURCH. The church matters.

I submit that the church needs to be about the business of God’s Redeeming process. We are all called to participate in the ongoing creation of this world. The reason is because the world matters to God. If it didn’t, God would not have created it!

Creation, Fall, Reconciliation and Redemption. What part is your church playing in this process?

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