Sunday, February 06, 2022
Sunday Reflection: The Good Church
It is a very hard time for many, many churches. Church membership was falling before COVID, and the pandemic seems to have exacerbated that trend. The period without in-person worship sent a lot of people adrift, and it is still unclear in many churches what the post-pandemic world is going to look like. It might be a time to re-make some churches, and I want to talk about the ideal.
A good church offers four things, all with a focus on Christ: Respite, Wisdom, Challenge, and Joy. It is very hard to do all four well. Some churches are strong on joy and not so great on wisdom. Others are wonderful at creating a respite, but do nothing to challenge their members. The combinations of failure are many, but the fulfillment of all is rare. I've seen it, and when it is there it is incredible.
By respite, I mean that the church offers a haven from a world that gives us harshness, hatred, competition, and heartache. That respite can be a calm place, a loving voice, or the warmth of a group. In the liturgy, respite can be achieved by silence, music, and welcome.
By wisdom, I mean that the church offers up truth from the deep well of scripture, and addresses the concerns of the world through the long history of the faith and the elegance of the Gospels. In the liturgy, it primarily comes through the sermon-- and we all know the difference between a sermon full of wisdom and one without it!
By challenge, I mean that the church is willing to do more than affirm existing beliefs, by taking Christian principles to address the too-easy assumptions of our culture. For example, we live in a society that celebrates wealth, but share a faith that focuses on the worth of those who are not wealthy. That requires us to challenge the role of money in the way people are valued. Racism, too, is something that our imperatives require be challenged. In the liturgy, challenge can be offered in the sermon, but also in the projects and discussions among those in the congregation.
Finally, by joy, I mean that church can provide that transcendent awareness of the divine that fills our hearts. In the liturgy, music can bring this to us, or it can come from a beautiful moment of wholeness elsewhere.
It is a tall order-- but a good aspiration.
