King of kings and Lord of lords!

Christ the King

Jesus came proclaiming the kingdom.  He said, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near, repent and believe in the good news.”  The term kingdom assumes the reign of a king. It is the domain over which a king or other sovereign exercises authority.   

As Americans, we are not completely comfortable with this notion.  Every summer we throw a huge party, complete with fireworks, to celebrate our independence from kings and kingdoms.  Most of our ancestors were very happy to make their home in a place where earthly monarchs were no longer free to reign.

Nevertheless, one of the most popular musical compositions of all time celebrates the reign of the King of kings and Lord of lords.  George Frideric Handel's “Hallelujah Chorus” is known and sung all around the world.   

The lyrics are taken right out of the New Testament, without embellishment: “The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever… King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Revelation 11:15; 19:16).

A couple of years ago 650 singers from over two dozen singing groups gathered as a "flash mob" at Macy’s Department store in inner city Philadelphia to participate in a spontaneous, random act of culture.  

They chose the kingdom of our world – a center of consumerism and commerce – to sing of the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. Incredible!  650 singers gathered in one of American's hallowed centers of worship – a shopping mall – to announce the reign of Christ the King.  Hallelujah!

It's pretty amazing! 

What Would Jesus Do?

Remember those WWJD bracelets, key chains and T-shirts that flooded the market a few years ago? That fad was fanned into flame by Charles Sheldon's book, "In his Steps."  The book asks a seminal question, "What would Jesus do?"  Published in 1896, the book has sold more than 30,000,000 copies and continues to be one of the best-selling books of all time.

I was involved in a church plant when the WWJD fad was at it's peak.  A lot of us wore our WWJD bracelets with pride. We imagined that we were a notch above other average, every day Christians. But we were put back on the straight and narrow by what one new believer said about WWJD merchandise.

When he became a Christian and ventured into a Christian bookstore for the first time, he was amazed by all of the WWJD paraphernalia in the store.  

"Well what did you buy?" someone asked. "I didn't buy anything," he replied.  

"Why not?" another wondered. "Because I didn't think Jesus would," he concluded.

Christian merchandise is big business!  Years ago Wal-Mart decided to cash in on the enormous profit potential of Christian merchandise.  Forbes magazine took notice and published an article that begins:

Wal-Mart Stores has seen the light. The world’s biggest retailer has discovered Christian-themed merchandise is one of the fastest-growing categories around. With offerings ranging from best-selling books and videos including The Purpose-Driven Life and Veggie Tales, Wal-Mart’s annual sales from Christian-themed merchandise, which is estimated to already exceed $1 billion annually, is growing at a rapid pace. (9-15-2003 Forbes Magazine, written by Carrie Coolidge)

Does the sale of Christian merchandise help, or hinder the work of Jesus?

WWJS: What Would Jesus Say? In the last weeks of his ministry when Jesus was preparing to turn his work over to his followers, he left them with a challenging story:

31-33 “When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

34-36 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

37-40 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:31-40)

Even if we could take the profits from the sale of Christian merchandise and use the money to feed the hungry, care for the homeless, and cloth the naked, we would still fall short of what Jesus asks us to do.  And! We would miss the pure joy of doing it.

Going to church can be boring, but being the church among those who are hungry and thirsty, homeless and naked, sick and imprisoned puts us in touch with the Joy of the Lord!

So... go to the junk drawer and look for your old WWJD bracelet if you must.  But only wear it as a reminder to continue the work of Jesus among those who are overlooked and ignored.

An Obituary for the American Church

Are Celebrity, Consumerism and Competition killing the Church in North America?  In an article for Verge, Mike Breen suggests these are the real enemies of the church.  Here is an excerpt from that article

CELEBRITY

The idea of celebrity is deeply woven into American culture and values. All you have to do is look at the ridiculous nature of Reality TV and you see how Americans are constantly craving celebrity (either to be a celebrity or to find the next celebrity and stalk their every move).

Now there is nothing dark or sinister about “celebrity” in and of itself. You can’t find an argument that says Jesus wasn’t a huge celebrity in his day.

However, there is a difference between being famous and being significant. If Jesus was famous, it’s because he was doing something significant. The problem with many pastors is they make decisions, develop personas and define success from the lens of what will make them a celebrity/famous (even if they don’t know it or see that they are doing this).

 So in American church culture, it’s pretty easy to become a celebrity: Grow a HUGE church. Now all in all, it’s not terribly difficult to grow to be a giant church if you have the right tools at your disposal – but that doesn’t mean the ends justify the means of getting there.

For instance, though Jesus was a celebrity in his day, he was willing to say things that ran people off in droves. In fact, the book of Mark chronicles the way (from about the mid-point of the book on) how people left Jesus to where, at the end, virtually no one was left. NO ONE wants to be associated with him for fear of the consequences.

That’s a Charlie Sheen-esque flameout (obviously without the character issues!). That’s not something you see too often in American churches. I suspect it’s because riven deeply into the American psyche is the desire to be a celebrity.

CONSUMERISM

We live in a culture that revolves around consuming. Every TV commercial, every store, every credit card company, every bank, every TV show or movie, every piece of clothing, car or product, every website, every restaurant every everything is tailored to fit your desires, needs or personal preference.

We are easily infuriated when things don’t happen exactly as we want them. We exist in a place that implicitly says this: “We are here to serve you and meet your every whim and desire. Let us take care of you.” What’s more, it’s never enough.

Eventually the house or the car get older and we want new ones. The clothes aren’t as fashionable and we want something more in style. That restaurant is getting boring, we must find another. Our favorite TV show is wearing thin, so the search begins for the next favorite. And on and on and on.

This is how we are wired to think in the United States. And it is all backed up by this rationale: You’re worth it. You deserve to have what you want, how you want it, when you want it. And for the most part, the church plays the exact same game.

COMPETITION

You will never find a more hyper-competitive culture than you do in the United States. As a foreigner living in this land, I can attest to that with the utmost respect. Americans love to win, they love the struggle of the journey and love holding up the gold medal of victory.

Now don’t hear me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with being competitive, it’s just how competition has become warped and twisted within our culture. And it’s that, at least in the church, we are competitive about the wrong things.

Much of the American church finds itself competing with the church down the road. “Are we bigger than them? Do we have more influence than them? Do we have the best/biggest youth group in town? Do people like to get married in our church building? Do people like our church better than theirs?”

Fifty years ago, as these three subtle threads were being woven into the American church, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., serving as a prophetic voice, said this:

If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century.

We are now into the second decade of the 21st century and we find ourselves still, for the most part, refusing to sacrifice what we want for what God is asking of us and his Church. Will we have the courage to sacrifice as Christ sacrificed? Will we do the things that cost us so that his Kingdom may advance?

The Family Comes Home

Following the closing worship service for the 229^th Annual Conference in Tampa, Florida, there was a second gathering of Brethren at Camp Ithiel in the Atlantic Southeast District.  The ZME Choir and a number of other EYN guests stayed at the camp for a week of rest and recovery following a demanding concert tour that took them to Church of the Brethren Congregations all across the United States.

My wife and I lived and served in Nigeria in the 80’s and then again from 2004 to 2006.  We now live in Florida and were delighted to spend some extra time with our Nigerian brothers and sisters.  The years we spent in Nigeria were brief compared to other missionaries who spent most of their lives there.  Nevertheless, we have a deep affection for the people and culture of Nigeria.  When our plane touched down in Abuja, Nigeria nearly 20 years after our earlier time of service there, it felt remarkably like returning home.  The fragrant scent of charcoal fires and kerosene lamps mixed with the reddish dust of Nigerian earth brought tears to our eyes.  It is said that certain smells can conjure vivid memories and emotions.  On our return to Nigeria we sensed the familiar fragrance of home.

The gathering of Nigerian and U.S. Brethren at Camp Ithiel provided a similar sense of coming home.  Following the closing worship service in Tampa, the Nigerians headed to the camp, about two hours away, and prepared for their final concert later that evening.  When they arrived at the camp they discovered that their drums and other instruments were in another vehicle that was on its way to Lancaster, PA.  No worries.  The concert went off without a hitch with the help of a couple of trash cans as drums, a set of bongos and a beaded shaker from the office of camp director, Mike Neff.  The dining hall at Camp Ithiel was seldom livelier.

The following morning was set aside for conversation.  The day began with impromptu conversations, followed by an open conversation moderated by John Mueller, Atlantic Southeast District Executive.  For nearly three hours the little white chapel at Camp Ithiel buzzed with conversation.  The Nigerians shared stories of tragedy and triumph, thanksgiving and praise.  They were generous in their appreciation for the financial aid and prayer support offered by U.S. Brethren.  

When the conversation concluded, the group prepared to celebrate Love Feast.  Brethren from Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Nigeria gathered in the dining hall for the agape meal and then returned to the chapel for foot washing and the bread and the cup.  The Nigerians significantly outnumbered the Americans, kind of like that first worship service in Garkida in 1923.  A bronze plague has been placed under the Tamarind Tree where that first gathering took place.  The plague is inscribed with the scripture lesson Stover Kulp read that day:

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.  In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.  (Ephesians 2:19-22) 

That was the essence of the Love Feast service at Camp Ithiel.  We did not gather as strangers and aliens, but as members of the family of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as our cornerstone.  Mixed among the Nigerians were former missionaries, BVSer’s, Global Mission and Service staff and those who have never set foot in Nigeria.  I was amazed to discover that one of the Nigerians was someone who had been a boy when we lived in the Nigeria in the 80’s.  I still have the picture I took of him 30 years earlier when he and several other boys were sitting on our front porch.  

When we gathered that afternoon for Love Feast, we thought we had come together as strangers.  We were reminded once again that in Christ Jesus we are no longer strangers but members of the same family.  Our family may be scattered in many placed around the globe, but when we come together as the family of God, it feels very much like we have come home.

Millennials: What We Need to Know, but are Afraid to Ask

Will our children’s children continue the work of Jesus?  The most recent report by the Pew Research Center provides little reason for optimism.  It isn’t surprising that the Pew survey shows a continuing downward spiral in church attendance in North America.  What is more alarming is the sharp increase in the number of young adults who identify themselves as atheists, agnostics or “nones” which is the abbreviation for “nothing in particular.”  The “nones”, are the fastest growing segment of the religious landscape in America.  And the Millennial generation is the most likely segment of our population to list their religious preference as “nothing in particular.”

Millennials are those who were born between 1980 and 2000.  They are three times more likely to identify themselves as “nones” than to identify themselves as mainline Protestants.  While the Church in North American has done a pretty good job of reaching the Silent generation; those born between 1928 and 1945, most churches are clueless about how to reach Millennials.

Reaching Out to Emerging Generations

Frank Powell offers some interesting insights about Millennials and their aversion to organized religion in a blog post entitled, 10 Reasons Churches Are Not Reaching Millennials.  Frank has written for Relevant Magazine, Catalyst , ChurchLeaders, and posts on a blog entitled Restoring Culture through Christ. Here is Powell’s list of reasons why the church may not be reaching Millennials:

1. There is a strong resistance to change
2. A compelling vision is lacking or non-existent
3. Mediocrity is the expectation
4. There is a paternalistic approach to leading millennial
5. There is a pervasive insider-focused mentality
6. Transparency and authenticity are not high value.
7. Mentoring is not important
8. Culture is viewed as the enemy
9. Community is not valued
10. The church is a source of division, and not unity

Getting to Know the Millennials

Before you dismiss the importance of understanding Millennials, consider this: when I Google searched “Millennials,” the first site that appeared at the top of the search page was a Goldman Sachs website!  MILLENNIALS appears at the top of the home page in all caps followed by this explanation: 

One of the largest generations in history is about to move into its prime spending years. Millennials are poised to reshape the economy; their unique experiences will change the ways we buy and sell, forcing companies to examine how they do business for decades to come.

There is little evidence that mainline churches are doing much to understand and reach out to this generation.  But Goldman Sachs and many other corporations and financial institutions have invested millions trying to know how to reach 92 million young adults who are about to move into their prime spending years.

So who are the Millennials?  Here are a few traits that have been gleaned from the writings of several contemporary American thinkers and sociologists:

• Millennials tend to be pragmatic idealists
• They tend to have a deep desire to make the world a better place
• They tend to be optimistic, engaged, team players
• They would rather network with friends than work through institutions
• They embrace the idea of community, both locally and globallyThe Church needs Millennials!  

We need to reach out to this generation, not simply to sit in our pews and fill our offering plates.  Without their idealism, optimism, and desire to make the world a better place, the Church will be unable to continue the work of Jesus.