A Christian Society

I've been talking a lot with people about the both the church and the Church universal and how being a part of it should affect the life of the believer. It's tricky because most of us live it out through either 1. trivializing it to a Sunday morning and Wednesday evening 'institution' of sorts or 2. idealizing this unattainable (read Anninia and Siphira) sort of communal living living we see in very small part of the scripture (Acts 4:32-37) and living in constant disappointment. It's pretty interesting to me. Everyone I've talked with (present company included) has a lot more ideas of what the church shouldn't look like than we have ideas on how to change it to be a better reflection of the glory of God. Maybe it's just me. Tell me if I'm wrong.

Anyways, I read this little bit from C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity this morning and found it to be pretty interesting and relevant. All italics or bolding are my additions.

"The New Testament, without going into details, gives us a pretty clear hint of what a fully Christian society would be like. Perhaps it gives us more than we can take. It tells us that there are to be no passengers or parasites: if man does not work, he ought not eat. Every one is to work with his own hands, and what is more, every one's work is to produce something good: there will be no manufacture of silly luxuries and then of sillier advertisements to persuade us to buy them. And there is to be no 'swank' or 'side', no putting on airs. To that extent a Christian society would be what we would now call Leftist. On the other hand, it is always insisting on obedience - obedience (and outward marks of respect) from all of us to properly appointed magistrates, from children to parents, and (I am afraid this is going to be very unpopular) from wives to husbands. Thirdly, it is to be a cheerful society: full of singing and rejoicing, and regarding worry or anxiety as wrong. Courtesy is one of the Christian virtues; and the New Testament hates what it calls 'busybodies.'
If there were such a society in existence and you or I visited it, I think we should come away with a curious impression. We should feel that its economic life was very socialistic and, in that sense, 'advanced', but that its family life and code of manners were rather old fashioned - perhaps even ceremonious and aristocratic. Each of us would like some bits of it, but I am afraid that very few of us would like the whole thing. That is just what one would expect if Christianity is the total plan for the human machine. We have all departed from that total plan in different ways, and each of us wants to make out that his own modification of the original plan is the plan itself. You will find this again and again about anything that is really Christian: every one is attracted to bits of it and wants to pick out those bits and leave the rest."

-- C.S. Lewis from Mere Christianity

I thought this was pretty interesting. I especially like the first paragraph. I think churches would be wise to follow what this Christian society "would be." Particularly the bolded parts.

No passengers or parasites - after all it is a body right? Everybody's got their part, yet it seems like to many of us are just along for the ride. Worse than that, we suck the life out of the people who are doing their part - because those people are also doing our jobs because we're to busy watching. Nothing about the Christian faith was ever advertised as easy... being a part of the body of Christ is no exception.

no manufacture of silly luxuries and then of sillier advertisements to persuade us to buy them. And there is to be no 'swank' or 'side', no putting on airs. - I think this one explains itself. Do we really need a 250,000 dollar sound system with subs and plasma tv's to put the words to our music on? I think not. Nor do we need to whore ourselves out by pouring all our time into looking 'hip' or 'relevant.' Just be the church. It's a reflection of Christ. That's attraction enough. We don't need dress it up with overdone sound systems and swag events. Seriously...

insisting on obedience - The Church is the hands, feet, and mouth of God (the Body) yes? Then, I don't think it's unfair to argue that God has given it authority unlike any other authority on the whole planet. Yet, the church is afraid to call sin what it is. We like to beat around the bush. Not to say that we should be harsh, unloving, and ungracious. By no means. But we also should not compromise. Yet, look at the church here in the US. There are some shinning examples, but there are also a lot who are becoming more and more tolerant of sin within the body. The church really should insist on obedience, because when we don't we all suffer greatly and more than that look just plain foolish - both in the local church and the Church universal.

cheerful society - this one is my favorite. It really should be. The church should be the utmost reflection of joy. By far we have the most to be joyful about.

Anyways, that's my long winded way of saying that I think it's a pretty interesting bit of writing. I'd love to hear what others are thinking.

KP

A qoute worth reading...

“Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”

- The Talmud

I ran into this today while I was killing some time before work. Friday's are a slow day here at Century Business.

If you're like me aren't very familiar with what the Talmud is go here. It's interesting an educational! Whowza! Thanks wikipedia.

It's interesting how God's desire for His creation hasn't changed between the Old Covenant and the New. It's even more interesting how we're no different than Isreal. We suck at living it out.

Cheers!

Speeding tickets...

Nothing quite like getting what you deserve...

Turns out that there's a speed trap up right by where 177 Highway (i.e. Bill Snyder Memorial Highway). It also turns out that you should pay attention to speeding signs instead of fiddling with your radio and looking at the cars around you. Luckly, the officer was quite kind and respectful -- and beyond that gracious and gave me a far lesser ticket than I deserved. Turns out grace can be found in the most unlikely of places. So here's to you officer. Thanks for both ruining my day and reminding me of the goodness of grace all at the same time.

Overall, it's a pretty good thing that I got my ticket. Well... except that my insurance will probably get way more expensive and I owe the state of Kansas $126.00. But, I got the rest of my hour drive to reflect on how this small example of somewhat painful grace is a small reflection of the grace that I receive every second of every minute of my life. I deserve a lot more than the small (probably non-existent) "hard knocks" I think I get all the time. And to think, God's grace doesn't even cost $126 dollars. It only requires the surrender of "my" life...

But then again, it's also the only place that I can find life as it's meant to be. It's kind of a strange, beautiful paradox. Now maybe if I could learn to express the gratefulness I expressed to a cop for granted grace that saved me a few bucks to the God who's granted a grace far more costly and beautiful.

But I guess that brings me back to giving up the mud pies that I like to play in for a wonderful holiday by the sea (thanks C.S. Lewis...).

It's my prayer that we could all learn to live in the fullness of life that grace offers to us... and more than that to be 1/2 as thankful for it as we ought to be. How easily that's lost in the hustle and bustle of work and accidentally going 20 over in 45 mile and hour zone on 177. How easy I forget. Luckily, God throws me cops who only write me tickets for 10 over when I deserve a bigger one. Reflections of the goodness of God's grace can be found all around. I just need to slow the heck down and see them.

Praise be to the God of Redemption who pours out grace on mud caked little boys like me who want so much to be like Him but just loose site when the mud covers our eyes. Praise to the God of Restoration who pulls us out of the mud and slowly washes all the mud of so that we can turn into a reflection of Something far more beautiful so that others can see the beauty of who Redemption is and find completion there. Praise Him.