Sunday, August 9, 2015
Gathering: 8-9-15--A Doozy of a Day
We gathered today but that's the least of it.
We sang a few songs, one of which was JESUS NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES then we spent a time longer than a long sermon exegeting the meaning of the names of Jesus mentioned in the song. It was a time of discussion of rich theological themes aiding our understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done for us.
We took themes from our discussion as our focus in taking the Lord's Supper.
The meal we shared was one of our best ever.
Then the real issue of the day presented itself. While we were eating the meal, Evie received a voice mail from a family to whom she and I showed mercy in the past at some degree of sacrifice for us. They responded, at the time, by abusing our act. Today they called to ask us to show mercy to them again.
Because we live in such intimate community together and because everyone present knew the family, we engaged in a lengthy conversation about where the line is between enabling sin and showing mercy.
As I've said in the past, this is an ongoing struggle for many of us. Others shared similar struggles they are having along the same line.
From beginning to end, until the last people left, the gathering lasted about four hours. We didn't resolve the mercy/sin question.
Evie and I did offer to help the family in a way that required some accountability from them to move forward in a responsible way.
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From time to time, I quote John Winebrenner's contention on the day the Church of God was formed in 1830, that the Protestant Reformation had failed and that what was needed was "another great Reformation."
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of these Gathering posts is not to argue that what we do is right and others are wrong. It is to create a record of what we do and what I think/how I feel about it.
In fact, I'm certain that we are not entirely correct in what we do. What is correct is that we are not blinded by tradition. Other than that...?
It struck me yesterday that we are not Protestant. In a way that is certainly not high church, when we gather, the focus is on the taking of the bread and cup much more than it is on the proclaiming of the Word.
Part of our discussion yesterday was on the value to us of Jesus as the Living Word more than of the Bible as the written Word.
Certainly, we don't think we have all the answers. In fact, we are still struggling to figure out the correct questions.
I'm not certain that it is clear why I called the day a doozy.
ReplyDeleteKey to our purpose in gathering is to provoke each other to love and good works and we focused on that purpose intensely from the moment we received that vm till the time the last people left.
That was a blessing.
Still thinking about last Sunday.
ReplyDeleteThere was a quality about the meeting that I was enjoying at the time but always makes me feel uncomfortable when I realize what we did. And, it is something that, previously I loved and considered to be a very good thing.
Up until the voice mail, our focus was deeply on doctrine, apart from the life of faith. Because I have so much theological education, that discussion gave me a chance to shine. For instance, I was able to explain what a redeemer was in New Testament times. And, I really grooved on leading others in the gathering into a deeper factual understanding of the faith.
But, when the Word talks about faith it always defines faith as something that is dysfunctional unless it functions by bearing fruit in works. And, before the voice mail, we were on track to have devoted the day to enabling dead faith.
There was a time when I would have been pleased to have preached a good sermon on redemption but that is no longer the case. I am blessed to, well, have been redeemed from that by the voicemail, which focused us on faith as a way of life.