The Importance of Church

You all know how much I've been wrestling with figuring out the importance of church. For so long it seemed like a place full of empty promises. But this new place we call home ... it is helping us remember how life-giving church can be.

You know, it's amazing what a difference it makes in your life when you find a faith community that you truly love. For so long we lounged around on Sunday mornings, staying in our pajamas until 10 or so, making our way to the farmers market, and coming home by noon for lunch and a nap. Those Sunday mornings were great - but we didn't really feel fulfilled. We didn't feel a burning need to go to church - but we did feel like something was missing.

But now, after just a few months at this new church we call home, we can't imagine Sunday morning without it. We stayed home one Sunday just before E was born and I felt lost the rest of the week. I missed it...and I haven't missed any particular church in a very long time. Even after E was born, when she was just 6-days old, we walked through those doors into worship - because we just couldn't imagine making it through the week without it. It also helped that A wanted to "take E to church."

And let's be totally honest ... becoming parents of two is exhausting. Although E sleeps pretty well for a newborn, A is still a terrible sleeper. We find ourselves getting less and less sleep as the days go by. When Sunday morning rolls around, we all pile in the car and head to church - because our sleep-deprived selves need it more than ever.

We need the worship. We need to step outside of ourselves and remember that God is bigger than any one of us. We need to stop for just a brief second and confess the things we've done - and not done - throughout the week. We need to pray for those who are struggling with needs greater than ours. We need to feel God's presence in a way that can only be experienced in a worship gathering.

We need Holy Communion. We need to be fed with the body of Christ. We need the sustenance to continue plugging on through what comes at us in the week ahead. We need the reminder that God will always fulfill and sustain us, if we will simply allow it.

And we need the community. Oh boy do we need the community. We felt so lonely when we had A - we had a church community, but we were the first in that community to go through the birth of a new baby. We didn't have any friends who could walk the journey with us. We had support - but it felt like it was from afar. This time around is so very different. Not only do we live in a place where community is prevalent, but we have found a church that truly is about living in community. We feel connected to other people in a way that we haven't ... ever ... in our adult lives.

We had resigned ourselves to seeing church as a place for worship and Communion - and accepted that we would have to find community elsewhere. But in these early days of parenting two - instead of falling into despair and self-pity, we have found that God has graciously given us not only a place of worship, but a place where true community exists. Community that celebrates successes with us and surrounds us with love and support through the difficulties.

Church as community ... it's not a concept that disappeared as we entered into this new postmodern world. It's something God expects to happen. It's a critical piece of being church. And I'm so glad that we've finally discovered a place that could be that community for us. We find ourselves happier and more fulfilled than we have been in a very long time.

How has church been important in your daily life?

On Finding (And Leaving) Church

Anyone who keeps up with us knows that we've struggled with the idea of leaving church for a really long time. I'm not sure when I last felt like I was part of a fulfilling church community. As we look back over our life together, D & I both feel like we've been searching for "home" as long as we can remember.

We tried to make House of the Rock "home," but something just never really clicked. Maybe it was that we were the only family with a small child who regularly attended. Maybe it was the worship time or location. Maybe it was the worship style. I'm not really sure what it was - but as much as we loved some aspects of it, and as hard as we tried to make it our "home" - we just always felt as though there was something missing.

When we made the hard decision to leave HotR, we decided we would stay with the Lutheran church that it is connected to. We knew some people there, Autumn felt comfortable worshiping there, we appreciated the larger ELCA connection, and we knew we agreed with the theology - particularly surrounding Baptism and Holy Communion. But we still felt like we were settling. We found it hard to plugin to ministry in ways that fully used the gifts God had given us. And although we love the people that make up the congregation, it never really felt like "home." It felt like a safe place to worship, but we still left every Sunday feeling as though something was missing.

Over the last couple of years, and particularly the last six months or so, we've visited a lot of churches. Some have had great worship services, but we missed the deep richness of the Lutheran theology surrounding the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. Others had an incredible depth when it came to theology, but the worship style didn't match what we were really searching for.

Finally, after many attempts at finding our new home, we sat down to talk about what it is we were seeking in a church. We came up with four things that we really wanted:

1. A grace-filled, sacramental understanding of Baptism and Holy Communion;
2. Weekly Communion that is offered to all;
3. Aspects of the liturgy and an appreciation of the liturgical calendar; and
4. "Contemporary" music that isn't merely a performance or concert, but engages the congregation to participate.

There were a few other things that we agreed we were hoping to find, but when it came down to it, those were the four most important things to us. As time went on, we became convinced we would never find what we were looking for, and Baptism and Communion ended up being our ultimate deal-breakers. So we ended up back where we started. And we decided we would stay there. At least for now.

But then, due to a random (or maybe not so random) chain of events, we discovered a new church less than 5 minutes from our house. After I scoured the website for hours to find what I could about their theology and worship style, we decided we'd check it out. I was so excited to check it out, based on what I discovered in their website, that I had trouble sleeping the night before. I can remember saying to D, "Maybe it does exist. Maybe what we've been searching for is actually out there somewhere." I think we both expected to be disappointed in some way, but we promised to go in with an open mind.

We've visited three times now - and every time we go we leave feeling as though God has placed us there for a reason. It's not a perfect place - no church is - but neither D or I have felt a more powerful worship experience in a very long time. It's modern, liturgical, theologically rich, AND grace-filled. It's everything we have been hoping for.

But it's not Lutheran.

And where so many times before that's been my greatest hangup in finding a new church home - this time it doesn't even phase me. Where I used to find myself invigorated by the Lutheran church, now I find myself exhausted. My soul is drained from trying to be the change within the church I've known and loved for so long. My heart is tired. I am jaded. And all those things are the exact opposite of what you should be when you are a part of a church.

As painful as it has been to seek a church community outside of the Lutheran church, it's even more painful to stay put. And when it comes right down to it - the most important thing is not the denomination we find ourselves in - but how we live out the love that Christ has so freely shared with us.

So we're stepping out on a limb. We're taking a huge leap of faith. We're embracing this new church we've found as our home. We're giving God thanks for the rich Lutheran theology that has formed our faith to this point. We're praising God for the many opportunities we've had in the Lutheran church that have made us who we are - individually and as a family. And we are holding all of that dear to our hearts as we answer the call we've been hearing from God to go - without fear.

I am thankful for Sarah Bessey's article, In which this is for the ones leaving evangelicalism. As I read the article over and over and over again, I found tears streaming down my face. God used her words to give me permission. Permission to grieve. Permission to wander. Permission to find - and worship - God in a very unexpected place.

fear of the resurrection

As I listened to the Easter story from the Gospel of Mark in church on Sunday, I was struck by the final words of the passage:

So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. ~Mark 16:8

This ending of fear and trepidation isn’t in the other Gospel accounts. The women and disciples are told to not be afraid. They seem to believe rather quickly – they take the angel’s word for it and share the news with others.

But let’s be honest … doesn’t Mark’s account really encompass where we all are? If we’re really honest with ourselves, aren’t we all terrified of just what the Resurrection means?

It means Jesus is the real deal. God won over evil. Death couldn’t keep Jesus down. He is greater than that. This man wasn’t just a prophet … he was, and is, God. In the flesh.

And if Jesus is the real deal … God here on earth … well, that’s scary stuff.

It’s scary because following this man called Jesus requires quite a bit of sacrifice. If Jesus is God, we have clear commands from him on how to live our lives.

Love one another. Even your enemies.

Take care of the poor.

Feed the hungry.

Leave your possessions behind.

Lose your life.

These aren’t easy to do. In fact, they can be down right scary. Terrifying.

Have you ever gone to feed the hungry in the bad part of town?

Ever invited the homeless into your house for dinner?

Sold all your possessions and given the money to the church?

What about literally laying down your life for someone else?

I haven’t. To be honest, the thought of doing these things freaks me out a little.

But if the Resurrection is true, it proves Jesus was God’s son. It makes Jesus’ commandments a little more than just mere suggestions. If we really want to follow Jesus, we have to do some scary stuff.

It’s easy to call ourselves Christians – but when it gets right down to it … are we really followers of Jesus? Or is “Christian” just another way we define ourselves?

Now I’m not saying being Christian is all about what we do. In fact, I think it’s quite the opposite. God has freely given us the gift of his Son. That’s what’s so amazing about the Resurrection. It has already happened – no matter what we do (or don’t do). God has already won. Absolutely nothing is required of us.

And perhaps that’s precisely why it’s so terrifying. We’ve been given the best, most expensive, gift anyone could ever receive. Our response doesn’t come out of obligation, but out of gratitude. Out of love. And Jesus showed us just what true love meant.

I’m not sure why Mark chose to end his Gospel account this way. But it definitely hit home to me this week. Being a follower of Jesus is not all sugar and spice.

Loving my enemies is hard work … but it’s nothing compared to dying on a cross and rising again.

Feeding the hungry is exhausting … but it’s nothing compared to dying on a cross and rising again.

Taking care of the poor is a neverending task … but it’s nothing compared to dying on a cross and rising again.

Leaving my possessions behind is an inconvenience … but it’s nothing compared to dying on a cross and rising again.

Following Jesus is scary. Terrifying in fact. But we press on and do our best, trusting in the promise of the Resurrection. The promise that life in the Resurrection is so much better than the alternative. Because let’s face it … if God can beat death … then he can certainly help us through our fear.

This post was originally published at Bibledude.net. Photo by Bruno van der Kraan on Unsplash.

Called to be a Light

Easter is over. Christ is Risen! The darkness of Lent is behind us. It’s time to rejoice and celebrate the Resurrection of our Savior!

Or is it?

Homelessness continues. Hunger abounds. Natural disasters destroy communities. Poverty cripples societies around the world. Divorce and abuse rips families apart. The day after Easter, the Washington Times published an article saying sex trafficking is a national epidemic.

Easter came and Easter went.

As I wrestle with the images of hopelessness, I can’t help but wonder…

What difference does Easter make?

My mind turns to the words Jesus says in his Sermon on the Mount:

You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.

Sure – God prevailed over death. He won over the darkness. That’s what we celebrate so joyfully on Easter. But the darkness still exists. We still find ourselves in times of struggle. We still see the images of homelessness, hunger, sickness, brokenness.

In many ways, Easter is like a single lamppost on a dark and and curvy road. It gives off enough light for us to see the bends up ahead, but it doesn’t take away the darkness. Instead, it gives us hope. Hope that there will be more light up ahead. Hope that we will begin to see less bends in the road. And hope in the knowledge that God has been in the depths of the darkness with us – and prevailed.

But I don’t think it ends there. Just as Christ’s Resurrection has been our light, the Easter story continues as we become the light for others.

Have you ever thought about just how much impact one person can have on the world?

We often think that the world’s problems are too big for us to do anything about – but in all reality, one person can make a significant difference. And not only can we make a difference, but God has called each of us to be that single light in a world of darkness.

Rosa Parks.

Zach Hunter.

Nelson Mandela.

Austin Gutwein.

Those are just a few names of people who started with a little dream, but with a lot of faith and perseverance, they have changed the course of history.

We may not always know exactly where we’re going. And we may not have much of a clue of what we’re doing. But when we walk in the light of Christ’s Resurrection, we can change the course of history.

Christ is Risen!

Now let us go forth in Christ’s Resurrection light and be that city on a hill, for all the world to see.

Photo Credit

This post was originally published at Bibledude.net.

How to Prevent Human Trafficking

Human trafficking ... child slavery ... it's easy to dismiss these problems without thinking twice. No way does that kind of stuff happen here in the United States, right?

Wrong.

Just yesterday, the Washington Post published an article identifying my own home city - Atlanta - as a hub for human trafficking. Stories abound of women who have been able to escape and live the rest of their life in fear.

Unfortunately, human trafficking is difficult to stop because the victims are hard to find. There are many organizations trying to raise awareness of the issue, but it still remains an "out of sight, out of mind" problem. Last month, President Obama declared January to be National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Because it's such a "hidden" problem, it can be hard to know how one person can help stop human trafficking. Here are 8 things you can do to help prevent human trafficking:

1. Volunteer at a local organization. The Polaris Project is one of the leading organizations in fighting human trafficking and modern-day slavery in the United States. They've got a great website listing organizations by state.
2. Contact your local representatives. Ask them to support anti-trafficking legislation. You can see all pending legislation here.
3. Report a Tip. If you have witnessed human trafficking or modern-day slavery firsthand, contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center. All reports are 100% confidential and interpreters are available.
4. Host a Chocolate Campaign. Not For Sale offers a chocolate fundraiser that helps you raise awareness of modern-day slavery as well as raising money to prevent it. With Valentine's Day coming up, this could be a great way for your organization to get involved!
5. Speak With Your Money. Check out your favorite stores to see what they are (or not) doing to prevent modern-day slavery. Or instead of going to a store, shop online through organizations that help prevent slavery. Two examples are: The Freedom Store and Made By Survivors.
6. Join the Student Abolitionist Movement. If you're a student, this is a great organization to get involved in. This network of students provides you with programs and resources to educate, advocate, and take action to help end modern-day slavery.
7. Raise Awareness. Most people have no idea that modern-day slavery and human trafficking even exists. Talk about it with your friends, co-workers, small group, family, etc.
8. Pray. Many times, this is left unsaid. Pray that God work through all people who are committed to ending human trafficking and modern-day slavery. Pray that God work in the lives of those who are doing the enslaving. And pray that God protects the victims who are being enslaved.

If you're involved in raising awareness for human trafficking or modern-day slavery, we'd love to share your story here on Soul Munchies next week. Just leave a comment below or send me an email and I'll be back in touch about how you can contribute.

This post was originally written in January 2011, so many of the original links were broken and have been removed. Because it is consistently one of the most popular posts on Soul Munchies, I have re-published it in its entirety here. Look for more updated information about human trafficking and how you can get involved in preventing it in the coming months.