Dung Beetles for Jesus

It started simply enough.  For me it was in college, but for many of you it may have taken place earlier on in your Christian life.  What follows is a brief conversation between me and my friend.  We’ll call him…Abramoses.  It went something like this…

ME:
Hey, Abramoses, how’s it going?

ABRAMOSES:

Every day the Lord has made is one to be thankful for, brother!  In fact, I don’t know if there’s any other way to possibly feel but thankful!  So, how are you?

ME:

Umm…thankful?

ABRAMOSES:

Amen.  (retrospective gaze into the distance followed by a dramatic repeat)  Amen.

ME:

(uncomfortably)  So…what are your plans for this summer?  Anything exciting?

ABRAMOSES:

(snapping back to reality) Oh, I’m journeying with the student mission group to the Pacific Northwest to work with the homeless.  I’ll be bringing them the love of Jesus and the bread of life that they may eat and never go hungry again.  I’ve been soliciting funds for over six months in order to take this trip, and thanks to intervening work of the Holy Spirit I have received the exact amount – to the penny – that I’ll need for my sojourn.    

ME:

(wondering what a sojourn is)  Cool.

ABRAMOSES:

And what might the good Lord find you doing this summer?

ME:

Oh, I think He’ll find me…working at Food Mart.

ABRAMOSES:

(confused)  Food Mart?  Oh!  I see…service evangelism, right?

ME:
Umm…yeah.  See ya.  (running away to live with the guilt of lying, slightly ashamed of my lack of Godliness) 

And it was then that I learned there was a hierarchy of holiness, and I was quickly slipping to the bottom of that organizational chart.  Yes, if things didn’t change soon, I’d be battling for the spiritual equivalence of septic tank repair man (no offense to any actual septic tank repair men).

But now with years of experience and misplaced guilt under my belt, I stand up for all of us regular everyday Christians…those who realize that there are many, many ways of giving glory and honor to God!  And believe it or not, not all of those include wading through leech infested waters while holding my handwritten copy of God’s word safely above my head in order that it may be securely delivered to people who speak a language that no one can interpret!  Well, no one but me that is, since I am so in tune with the Spirit of God that He used my own weary hand to scratch the indecipherable symbol-based words onto the parchment.  Yes, I said parchment.  Mere “paper” isn’t nearly holy enough for such work.

Let me be the first to say, that if you are one of those called to the far reaches of the earth to live in a deer-skin tent and eat dung beetles as your primary source for nourishment, then I absolutely salute you, my friend!  And I sincerely respect your level of dedication.  Honestly.  But, if you’re like me, and God has called you to a far less “spiritually glamorous” position, then I salute you as well! 

The truth is there is no hierarchy of holiness.  We’re all just called to do what we were made to do, and either we give God the glory for it or we don’t.  So, don’t feel guilty or less than holy because of the lack of dung beetle in your diet.  Do what you were made to do!  And do it with the intensity and joy of one who’s working for a cause that’s bigger than himself…and for Someone far holier.  

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.  If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

I Corinthians 12: 21-26

The Church for Christians Who Don’t Care About Stupid Things and Just Want to Worship God

This is the name of my new church.  Or, if you’d prefer, feel free to use the acronym. (C.C.W.C.A.S.T.J.W.W.G.). 

I’m sure there are a few of you who have already thought to yourselves, “He said it’s his church.  He’s so prideful.  The church doesn’t belong to him; it belongs to God!” 

If that in any way describes your thought process, then allow me to be the first to say that this church probably isn’t the one for you.  Not that I dislike you or think you’re a bad person, it’s just that those types of thoughts fall under the category of “Stupid Things” which is in direct contradiction with the intent of this church as established by the aforementioned name.

If you’d like, you can click on the following link for a virtual tour of our facilities.  Oh wait…there is no link because C.C.W.C.A.S.T.J.W.W.G. does not have a website.  And there are also no “facilities.”  In fact, here’s a brief list of some other things you won’t find at my church…

·         Stage Lighting:  We don’t feel the need to “set the mood” for worship.   

·         A Stage:  No need for elevation.

·         Paid Staff:  Or…any staff really.  We find that salaries and positions tend to cloud purpose and judgment.   

·         Committees:  There’s not much to decide upon.   

·         An offering plate:  We don’t really need your money to operate like some churches do, so we’ll let you decide how God leads you to use it. 

·         Fancy clothes:  This is simply because I never want to dress up.   

·         Pews:  What are pews? 

·         Fundraisers for building projects:  Don’t need funds or buildings. 

·         People who need any of those things in order to have church:  We still love and respect you :)

Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying that any of those things are evil or “anti-God,” I just firmly believe that the modern American church has become too complicated.  We muddle it up with our traditions, self-imposed rules, and unreasonable expectations.  We push staff and volunteers to do more and more, and take on a never ending list of responsibilities in order to propel our churches towards....Well, I’m not really sure it’s always clear what we want to accomplish. 

What I do know is that most of the time we shove and strive and strain towards goals that hold no eternal significance or practical relevance.  The church has lost its purpose.  For some, it’s become a social gathering of like-minded people.  At worst, it’s become a business. 

And sadly, when the church becomes a business, it has to compete with other businesses.  That’s why we have to have all of those “things” which do nothing but make us look as good, or better than, the churches in our area which become our competition.

Personally, I’m tired of it.  And I know there must be others who feel the same way.  People who are burned out, disenfranchised, and feeling guilty over not wanting to go to church at all.          

Okay, so C.C.W.C.A.S.T.J.W.W.G. doesn’t really exist.  But I wish it did.  And maybe one day it will.  What are your thoughts?