The Text
I was reading recently in Genesis 20 and came across a verse that touched me profoundly. The account of Genesis 20 is one known by many but studied by few; that of the birth of Isaac.
We are told that after Issac was born that Sarah, the wife of Abraham, demanded that her maidservant, Hagar, and the child born of her husband by this servant, Ishmael, be sent away.
The author of Genesis goes on to tell us that although this troubled Abraham greatly he went ahead and sent Ishmael and Hagar away. We are told he did this because God said, "Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring." (v. 12& 13)
So Abraham sends his child and the child's mother out into the desert. Eventually, however, their provisions run out. They use up all their water. Hope is lost. Hagar sets the 14 year old Ishmael down in the shade and walks away, unable to watch the inevitable death of her son, who would undoubtably soon succomb to the desert heat without water.
It is this part of the passage, then, that intruiged me. The New Living Translation tells us, "Then God heard the boy's cries, and the angel of God called to Hagar from the sky, "Hagar, what's wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy's cries from the place where you laid him. Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants."
The Big Deal
"God heard Ishmael cry". God hears the cries of the oppresse. Very significantly, he is not deaf to those outside his plans or kingdom. Ishmael went on to be a great nation, and he is commonly considered in Biblical and Qu'ran sources to be the father of the Arab peoples.
Why does this matter? It matters because the American church has a tendancy to believe that only we Americans pray to God, and that God hears only our prayers here in America. If God heard Ishmael's cry then who is to say that he will not hear the cry of Ishmael today? Millions of the descendants of Ishmael are crying out now.
It certainly is not a subject we like to think about, but in truth we must. Arabs all over the Middle East are crying out today. They are oppressed by tyranical governments, women are treated like animals under much of the strict Muslim law, the wealth of their nations is robbed out from under the people by their rulers, and they have been convinced by their poverty and desparation to follow creeds of Islamic fundamentalism and extremism. These people cry out to God for deliverance from their governments, our government, the Israelis, the desert, the heat, the poverty, and the percieved pillaging of their culture. Their cries are being raised to God.
Conclusion
Don't get me wrong, I do not condone acts of terror that this desperation promotes. I do not necessarily blame Israel for its acts of agression. It is a rough and cruel world. However, beware, God hears the cries of Ishmael, and so should we. God is intimately aquianted with those who descend from that Abrahamic line. He knows each of them by name. Although we may not agree with them, they too are near to God's heart. Thus they should be to ours also. God has heard Ishmael's cry. Can you?
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Thursday, April 20, 2006
The Ministry That Every Church Needs
As Jimmy Hoffa once humorously stated, "I may have faults, but being wrong ain't one of them." I think from now on I will claim that line, at least on the topic of this particular blog, the ministry that every church needs.
For a semester now I have been drenched in the stuff of church growth, worship, spiritual formation, and on and on. In all this, however, I have noted one areea which even at the educational level we largely ignore. That is the area of local missions.
1. The Food Bank- One of the longest lived and most successful outreaches of many churches is the food
bank. You cannot come much closer to perfectly following the directive to "feed the
hungry" than this.
2. The Second Hand Store- The Salvation Army and Goodwill have this market cornered,
but many communities are still in need of inexpensive clothing provided
by the loving hands of the church.
3. The Transit- Your church could begin to provide a city wide transit service. Insurance would be pricy,
but charging a small fee might help offset the financial overhead. The church gets a twofer
for this one; you protect the environment and aid thos who cannot afford transportation.
4. The Community Center- A community center for Senior Citizens could be a real boon to the ministry of
any church. This normally would require a more urban setting, so the option is out for
the rural church. However, a community center for teenagers might also be a good
investment.
5. Counseling Services- Larger churches might feel comfortable launching a counseling center for a variety
of needs ranging from drgu addiction, to domestic abuse, to even psychological disorders.
If the church was too wary of the liabilities it might be better to simply subsidize visits
to another local counseling center. An effective way to do this might be by offering
financial aid to low income applicants in need of counseling.
6. Group Therapies- Alcoholics Anonymous and other support groups have always found a welcoming home
in the church. Encourage a local group to use your funds and facility.
7. Homeless Shelter- Pricy but necessary.
8. Community Redevelopement- Churches in run down or dilapidated communities might feel called to
engage in programs centering on community renewal. This could take the form of
church members fixing up community houses one by one, grants to homeowners
and businesses, or adopting areas of the community to clean and beautify.
9. Meal Ticket- A weekly or monthly free meal open to the community.
10. Preschool- Financial aid to families in need who wish to enroll their children in preschool. This can be
either in the form of a church subsidized discount in a preschool operated by the church or in
the form of a check to the preschool of choice if the church does not have a preschool program.
For a semester now I have been drenched in the stuff of church growth, worship, spiritual formation, and on and on. In all this, however, I have noted one areea which even at the educational level we largely ignore. That is the area of local missions.
The Need
Let me first define what I mean by local missions: any program or organization of outreach centered, sponsered, and funded by the local church to provide a necessary service to the community. I will even be so daring as to state the following: Every church with a Sunday morning attendance of greater than fifty should have a substantive local missions program consisting of at least one major service or product contributed to the community. Among the possibilities for such programs are the following 10 starter ideas:1. The Food Bank- One of the longest lived and most successful outreaches of many churches is the food
bank. You cannot come much closer to perfectly following the directive to "feed the
hungry" than this.
2. The Second Hand Store- The Salvation Army and Goodwill have this market cornered,
but many communities are still in need of inexpensive clothing provided
by the loving hands of the church.
3. The Transit- Your church could begin to provide a city wide transit service. Insurance would be pricy,
but charging a small fee might help offset the financial overhead. The church gets a twofer
for this one; you protect the environment and aid thos who cannot afford transportation.
4. The Community Center- A community center for Senior Citizens could be a real boon to the ministry of
any church. This normally would require a more urban setting, so the option is out for
the rural church. However, a community center for teenagers might also be a good
investment.
5. Counseling Services- Larger churches might feel comfortable launching a counseling center for a variety
of needs ranging from drgu addiction, to domestic abuse, to even psychological disorders.
If the church was too wary of the liabilities it might be better to simply subsidize visits
to another local counseling center. An effective way to do this might be by offering
financial aid to low income applicants in need of counseling.
6. Group Therapies- Alcoholics Anonymous and other support groups have always found a welcoming home
in the church. Encourage a local group to use your funds and facility.
7. Homeless Shelter- Pricy but necessary.
8. Community Redevelopement- Churches in run down or dilapidated communities might feel called to
engage in programs centering on community renewal. This could take the form of
church members fixing up community houses one by one, grants to homeowners
and businesses, or adopting areas of the community to clean and beautify.
9. Meal Ticket- A weekly or monthly free meal open to the community.
10. Preschool- Financial aid to families in need who wish to enroll their children in preschool. This can be
either in the form of a church subsidized discount in a preschool operated by the church or in
the form of a check to the preschool of choice if the church does not have a preschool program.
The Requirements
Even though these are badly needed ministries not every church should praticipate. Here are some thoughts on what churches might need to get started and remain successful in any such ministries.
A. Congregation- More than fifty regulars makes the whole process easier from every angle. With this
size congregation or larger you are beginning to have more discretionary funding
and enough members to support the required work level of launching such a ministry. To
be sure, there are more sacrifices for a small church to make.
B. Involvement- Ten percent of the congregation or more needs to be involved with any outreach local
missions ministry. Why? That way the ministry is the church's ministry and not "Ted's Program"
or "Betty's Thing". This also will encourage continuity long after the current pastor leaves. If
the congregation isn't involve it becomes much easier for the incoming minister to discard a
much needed outreach to pay for the new sound system.
C. Need- Why begin a local missions program for the homeless if you live in small town, USA? Tailor your
ministry to need. Something like a Chrisis Pregnancy Center would be a great ministry anywhere.
Just make sure someone else isn't already doing it.
D. Funding- Although this seems obvious I'd better state it or someone will leave a comment about it. If funds
are low try partnering with other local churches.
E. Revival- The church must have been recently revived by the Holy Spirit or have been on fire all along.
Spiritual maturity for both leadership and the congregation is probably the most imprtant factor in
the success of a ministry of this kind.
F. Spirit- There must be a general support from the congregation, rooted in the Holy Spirit's leading. If this does
not exist you may try and push ahead, but do so with caution. It is far better to fail to establish an
outreach for a time than to tear the church apart at its' seams trying.
Conclusion
Well, admittedly, this blog is not as moving as last weeks. To the contrary it is rooted much more deeply in the concrete. However, it is no less rooted in my heart. I firmly and passionately believe that every church needs a local missions program that encourages its members to service in the community. This is the very essence of what we as Christians are supposed to be about. Just as Jesus himself said in Matthew 5:42 "Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." Go forth to serve.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Home
I had a friend say to me yesterday, "I still believe in God I just can't stand the church. I think it is broken, evil, warped, etc." At least that is what he approximately said. If you're reading this you probably know the friend. (three hints: he's big, he spoiled, and he's a teddy bear 'most of the time')
Anyway, a serious of bad run ins with local churches had led him to be more than disenfranchised. He was angry. As we sat around a beautiful pick-nick table out in the sun Amy, our other friends, and I all took turns at tearing his comment apart.
Sure, everyone feels hurt by the Church from time to time. Nearly everyone has felt unnapreciated, been involved in a Church split, chewed out by a fellow church member, or wrongly judged. That is nothing new. If we refer to the Bible we see the same thing over and over again. The Apostle Paul is always counseling churches to get their acts together and love each other. He exhorts them to forget percieved slights and ignore intended wrongs. All in all, he challenges the Corinthians, Galatians, Romans, Thesselonians, and Ephesians (and more) to love each other as is the primary task of the church. To be sure, dislike or hurt towards the Church is an age old phenomenom, as old as the faith itself.
We responded with a variety of arguments about the church being the living body of Christ, perfect as a whole Catholic (universal) unit, but flawed as individuals, congregations, and denominations. This is true, but I think today there is more than even this argument in play.
This last week Keith Drury told us that he plans to walk the Pottawattamie "Trail of Death" from Twin Lakes near Plymouth to Kansas. When he told us this I proudly offered my History of Marshall County book to him for his research. As I offered it I told him proudly, "These are my people."
Later, as I thought about this statement I could not help but be moved a little bit. Truly, those are my people. From the Michigan state line down to the banks of the Wabash I know almost every road, river, stream, and field. I talk like those people, I look like those people, and although I don't always think like them I know them and love them. They are my people. Almost every member of my family lives there. The steelworkers, truck drivers, construction workers, politicians, and especially the farmers are mine. It was from them that I have come.
There is a profound pride that I carry in having this solid identitiy. There is an immeasurable beauty in knowing where you belong . It is a facet of life being lost in this age of global travel and high speed communication. Most people can no longer say proudly, "I am from ...". Most people today can no longer call some idyllic small town home. Most people do not have a place where they can run home to when the chips are down.
That, friends, is the truest and most beautiful reason for the church today. It gives us identity. It gives us family. It gives us a place to call home.
As our conversation wound down someone concluded that "it is a place to be the home of your faith." This is true, but it is also so much more.
St. Patrick often referred to his call to minister to the Irish people as his "exile for Christ". Since my call I have felt much the same way. I am currently in exile from my homeland. I visit only occassionaly. And although I am near it and seperated by only a little more than an hour my grieving somedays is deep as I long for the plainview of home. I still miss the bawling cattle the fields of wheat and the shades of green fields and trees. (Central Indiana has a lot fewer trees.)
But in the midst of it all I can still call the Church home. They too are my people. Although I will always call Norther Indiana home, the Church helps to fill the gap. True its far from perfect when you take it in small chunks like individuals or congregations, but as a whole the Church of Christ makes a more than adequate home.
Anyway, a serious of bad run ins with local churches had led him to be more than disenfranchised. He was angry. As we sat around a beautiful pick-nick table out in the sun Amy, our other friends, and I all took turns at tearing his comment apart.
Sure, everyone feels hurt by the Church from time to time. Nearly everyone has felt unnapreciated, been involved in a Church split, chewed out by a fellow church member, or wrongly judged. That is nothing new. If we refer to the Bible we see the same thing over and over again. The Apostle Paul is always counseling churches to get their acts together and love each other. He exhorts them to forget percieved slights and ignore intended wrongs. All in all, he challenges the Corinthians, Galatians, Romans, Thesselonians, and Ephesians (and more) to love each other as is the primary task of the church. To be sure, dislike or hurt towards the Church is an age old phenomenom, as old as the faith itself.
We responded with a variety of arguments about the church being the living body of Christ, perfect as a whole Catholic (universal) unit, but flawed as individuals, congregations, and denominations. This is true, but I think today there is more than even this argument in play.
This last week Keith Drury told us that he plans to walk the Pottawattamie "Trail of Death" from Twin Lakes near Plymouth to Kansas. When he told us this I proudly offered my History of Marshall County book to him for his research. As I offered it I told him proudly, "These are my people."
Later, as I thought about this statement I could not help but be moved a little bit. Truly, those are my people. From the Michigan state line down to the banks of the Wabash I know almost every road, river, stream, and field. I talk like those people, I look like those people, and although I don't always think like them I know them and love them. They are my people. Almost every member of my family lives there. The steelworkers, truck drivers, construction workers, politicians, and especially the farmers are mine. It was from them that I have come.
There is a profound pride that I carry in having this solid identitiy. There is an immeasurable beauty in knowing where you belong . It is a facet of life being lost in this age of global travel and high speed communication. Most people can no longer say proudly, "I am from ...". Most people today can no longer call some idyllic small town home. Most people do not have a place where they can run home to when the chips are down.
That, friends, is the truest and most beautiful reason for the church today. It gives us identity. It gives us family. It gives us a place to call home.
As our conversation wound down someone concluded that "it is a place to be the home of your faith." This is true, but it is also so much more.
St. Patrick often referred to his call to minister to the Irish people as his "exile for Christ". Since my call I have felt much the same way. I am currently in exile from my homeland. I visit only occassionaly. And although I am near it and seperated by only a little more than an hour my grieving somedays is deep as I long for the plainview of home. I still miss the bawling cattle the fields of wheat and the shades of green fields and trees. (Central Indiana has a lot fewer trees.)
But in the midst of it all I can still call the Church home. They too are my people. Although I will always call Norther Indiana home, the Church helps to fill the gap. True its far from perfect when you take it in small chunks like individuals or congregations, but as a whole the Church of Christ makes a more than adequate home.
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