Why? - 1-12-09

“Why?”
Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve written anything! Guess it’s time again…..

Brian and Jeanine were out of town this Sunday. So DBC let me preach again. It’s fun when I get that opportunity every once in a while. I get a lot of ideas that start rumbling around in my head that sometimes Sunday morning gives an outlet for. I hope that doesn’t sound bad…..

I used to tell my high school and junior high students in California that the best I can do is share with them the journey that I am personally on as I actively engage in discipleship with Jesus. Really I think that this was what Paul was talking about in I Corinthians 11 when he said, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ”. I am personally on a journey of Kingdom discovery here, the best I can do is invite you along with me. And that was what Sunday was about.

I talked about how Brian has raised a provocative question with me, possibly without even knowing it. The question of “why?”. So I raised it to our attendees at our two Sunday morning services. Now if you weren’t there you may….or may not for that matter…want to listen to the whole context of the message before I go any further. (You can do that on our website, www.donnellybiblechurch.com.) The point of raising the question was to engage us in a journey together, a journey that can be confusing and frightening and fraught with hazards of many kinds, and possibly uncomfortable in many ways, but ultimately well worth it! Not just worth it, but exciting, and invigorating if we allow it to be.

In particular the question was “why do we do the things that we do in our gatherings? Specifically our Sunday morning gathering times.”

Now I think this is an extremely worthwhile question, then again, being employed by the church I probably think of our gathering times far more often than a lot of people do. That being said, for something that we as Christians at least profess to have so much value in, I think it’s safe to say that it is a very worthwhile question.

So what was my purpose in raising the “why?” question?

Simply to start dialogue.

Really!!! I love our church family. I really enjoy our gathering times. Are there things that I might change? Sure….but nothing that I feel very strongly about. But I think it’s good to think about these things so that we don’t get stagnant. So we don’t start to collect moss. I think it creates an environment where people become free to dream great dreams, to vision great visions. It’s like a good spring cleaning. You discover some things that you forgot you had, and you realize that you’re holding on to some things that you’ve really been ok living without. You realize that some of your greatest treasures have gathered a little too much dust, and realize that there is now room for new treasures.

But it’s not necessarily to be the way that I spring clean with Jessicah, that if it’s not mine, and it’s old, then we must not need it anymore! This is a journey that must be submitted to our Father by the power of His Holy Spirit and led by the example of Jesus. Ultimately the question that begins to form in our hearts is “Father, what do You have for us?” Now there is freedom! If I can truly come to a place of trusting that all that God wants for us is our best, then I don’t have to worry about tradition, I don’t have to worry about change, I don’t have to worry about what might be old or having to embrace what is new. I just get to look forward to, with great anticipation, our Father leading us into what is best, what is most glorifying to Him. To that which most rapidly expands His Kingdom here on earth. And that is an exciting kind of life!

So hopefully you’ll join me on this journey, a journey of “why?”.

-Casey