08/16/2009 AT THE CENTER

AT THE CENTER

 

“Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time…”

 Ephesians 5: 15-16a (NRSV)

           

          When the pager chirped awake & the dispatcher’s voice announced the fire’s location at one of the mansions along Bristol’s riverfront, I knew it was going to be quite the conflagration.  Not only was the location challenging & the structure over-sized, but the reclusive pack rat who lived in the home had stuffed the rooms with all variety of flammables.

 

          Arriving on scene, the attack pumper pulled in the semi-circular driveway & its crew led off with a medium-sized water line.  The second-in supply pumper dropped its largest hose in the street out front, & sped off to connect to a high volume hydrant.  The third pumper, the smallest in the fleet & the one I drove, pulled between the two preceding rigs.  We stretched lines to the fire engine whose inside crew needed more water, while simultaneously attaching the second pumper’s large-diameter hose to replenish our supply.  It was a well-choreographed operation.

 

          When the aerial truck showed up to put their 75’ ladder pipe in service, it took its water from us.  The fourth & fifth pumpers, flanking the first apparatus at the house, trained their deluge guns on the inferno, & again, used us as their water source. 

 

Thousands of gallons of water were flowing on that fire each minute, & every drop came through one small, old pumper.   We didn’t have the distinction of being the first on the scene, didn’t have the romance of the hook & ladder’s elevated fountain spraying high above, & couldn’t claim any glory as the big guy at the hydrant with the pumping muscle to deliver all the wet stuff to extinguish the red stuff.  But we were at the center of everything.  Calls for more water or less & changes in pressure involved us.  Every ounce coming in went out, while keeping a reserve for ourselves in case something went wrong.

 

Our deliberate placement put us in the position to influence the entire fireground.  We were smack in the middle of the operation for everyone to see, yet with so much going on around us, our good work went unnoticed by the crowds & cameras.   We had the sure satisfaction, however, of knowing that we played a crucial role in the event.  

 

This is where Christians need to be in life: at the center of the excitement providing meaningful influence to save lives & improve life, while not seeking the glory that rightly belongs to God. 

 

How can we have such a positive effect on life?  How can a sincere faith in Christ impact lives & a culture that are often ignorant of Jesus or openly antagonistic of God’s ways?  Ephesians instructs us to be careful, to make the most of the time, to not be foolish, yet to understand the will of the Lord.  How do we do those things?   How do we bring those grace-filled teachings to life in ourselves & others?

 

Historically, Christians have used various approaches to bring Christ to the surrounding culture.  Allow me to briefly touch on four ways Christians have tried that don’t work well, & then close with a suggestion that does (work).  Indulge me in drawing on that fire scene as the metaphor, using those analogies & similes to illustrate the theology at work.

 

The direct attack offensive is an effective way to put out fires, but when employed by Christians in our culture, we’ve too often become self-righteous, religious pitbulls.  Think about the role of Christians in politics.  It’s not been pretty!  Christians on both the left & right have used politics to effect change.  We’ve entered into a dirty arena that has sullied the church, created unwhole-some alliances, & won few victories.  Not only is this an unsavory business, but we’re barking up the wrong tree. 

 

Politics reflects & follows the culture more than it directs & leads the culture.  We need to be at the center in the culture, influencing the fields that influence politics, viz. education, media, business, & finance, not just getting our guys & gals into office where they haven’t fared so well, anyway.

 

Whether it be the embarrassments & sins that dominate national politics in the name of religion (from the scandalous behavior of theologically-trained Gary Hart in the 1980’s & the more recent ties of Ralph Reed to the Jack Abramoff scandal) or the local candidate put up by churches in this area some years back who betrayed his platform & dove headlong into the scrum of corruption, party politics is the wrong place for most Christians. We need to be prophets, not kings.

 

Similarly, we do not need to be like the fire engine with the largest capacity pump that controls the water supply & exploits it size.  The big bully at the firefight can make demands & throw around a lot of weight.  In the name of public safety, that can work.  Is that the way Christians should behave?  Unfortu-nately, we have.  We’ve arrogantly imposed our will on others.  We’ve acted with entitlement by reciting the line, “We’re the church & we expect special treatment.”

 

One Bucks County church several years ago argued, unsuccessfully, that they didn’t have to follow the municipal building & safety codes when they built a 6’ chainlink fence around the parsonage.  It was against code, but they built the neighborhood eyesore, anyway.  It truly put the church in a bad public light.  I also know of mega-churches whose success allows them to be especially intrusive in their members’ lives.  “We expect you to tithe, & so we hold you accountable by having you submit a copy of your tax return to us,” goes their demand.   

 

Big church or not, Christians have an obligation to be gracious with one another.  We cannot live the gospel of love by behaving with such callous disregard for & distrust of individuals.  High expectations are fine, but where’s the grace?  If nothing else, the successful church – especially the successful church - must model grace toward others.  Jesus is our standard & the Bible is our standard-bearer.

 

A third approach of Christians toward the culture does not attack, nor throw its weight around.  It’s like the ladder truck -- not one that’s rescuing a trapped victim at the window – but one that finds a lofty perch from which to observe the passing scene.  This is the Christian methodology that seeks to escape earthly reality by refusing to engage the culture.  It gives up on changing the world for the better, recedes above the fray, & hides out with like-minded souls.  Mixing metaphors: the church becomes a fortress to guard against the evil world, rather than a body employing arms, legs, senses, & mind to go out & serve others, helping to eliminate evil. 

 

This is not a new problem.  Most of us heard about the Pharisees & Sadducees in Jesus’ day.  There was another group, called the Essenes.  Chances are, most of you never heard of them.  That fact, in itself, helps make my point.  They were good, faithful people with a fine way of living their faith solely among themselves.   They lived separately in their own utopian community along the Dead Sea, somewhat like a commune.   In our day, the Amish & some monastic communities have splendid persons of faith, too, but their impact on the culture is measurably minute.  Even the Christian in the pews, concerned about his or her own spiritual development to the exclusion of sharing the gospel with others & caring for the needy, misses what Jesus, himself, was all about.  God didn’t comfortably remain in heaven, but came to earth & got involved for our sakes.

 

The fourth & final approach reminds me of the two fire engines who pile on the water once the other apparatus & firefighters have done the hard work.  Almost anyone can join the crowd by jumping on the bandwagon.  There’s nothing particularly bold, brave, & unique about that contribution.

 

Yes, some Christians aggressively fight with the culture, & others arrogantly push their way around, & still others totally disengage out of frustration, but this fourth group completely caves/gives in.  “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” is their motto.  These congregations look & act so much like the culture that they don’t even resemble the body of Christ. 

 

Let me personalize that idea.  Imagine me with torn, baggy pants hanging half-way below my tailbone revealing boxers with Jesus’ face imprinted on them, a neck tattoo replacing the “dog collar,” & facial piercings using cross jewelry!  Kira & the youth may love it for a while, but the rest of you would be saying how pathetic & pitiful I am.  Right?!

 

I think there’s nothing more sadly laughable than a church with the goal of accommodating the culture.  What’s the point?  If we want to be like everyone else, then we’re not being the church.  Jesus was famous because he was so different.  Plus, we’re not good at being trendy.  At best, we follow the trends.  We don’t create the trend.  And persons who want to be trendy will flock to the trendsetters, certainly not to the fourth-rate imitators in a church.  Others can be trendier than the church because fads & fashionability are not our calling.  We don’t need to divorce ourselves from society, but we don’t need to always try to imitate it, & be so much like it, either.

 

So, what does work?  How can we be sincere persons of faith who positively impact our culture for Christ?

 

One way is what I preached about last week:  believe & live the Bible.  Make Christ your #1, your life’s leader, & sincerely use the Bible as the blueprint for living.

 

Second, be the person God made you to be, the one Christ redeemed you to be, & the individual of faith which the Holy Spirit empowers you to be. 

 

There’s the story of the 16^th-century cobbler freshly-converted to Christ, who came up to Martin Luther & said, “Now what?  What should I do for the kingdom now that I’m a Christian?  Should I be a minister or missionary?”

 

Martin Luther responded, “Be a shoemaker who makes good shoes & sells them at a fair price.”

 

Christians need to realize that we can best serve Christ & the kingdom right where we are.  If you’re discontent in your career, that’s another matter.  If you’re discerning a call to ordained pastoral ministry, great.  Most persons, though, can fulfill their calling in Christ exactly where they are as a parent, teacher, engineer, bus driver, laborer, salesperson, entrepreneur, or accountant.  By being the best at what you do, you can be at the center of your field influencing the world for Christ & often doing so without ever quoting scripture or drawing attention to the fact that you love God with all our heart, soul, mind, & strength.  This is where Christians belong, namely right where God put us.

 

I often think that if we had more devout Christians willing to practice what they believe & bring their faith to bear in the marketplace, in business, in the classroom, in medicine, in the community organization, in government service, in their families, we would fulfill two great biblical mandates.  For one, we would be going into all the world teaching persons to observe all Christ commanded, as he instructed in Matthew 23:19’s Great Commission.  And second, the Lord’s Prayer petition of “thy kingdom come,” would be closer, would be ushered in.  Doing what Jesus instructs us to do & answered prayer are outstanding.  “Let it begin with me,” would not merely be a lyrical sentiment in a popular hymn (“Let There Be Peace on Earth), but a reality with the force of faith & Christ.    

 

We don’t need to be first on the attack or the powerhouse with lots of muscle.  Jesus never taught those tactics.  Actually, he modeled the opposite.  We shouldn’t be aloofly hovering above as spectators with a “devil may care attitude,” letting life go by.  We cannot simply jump on the bandwagon, letting others do the heavy-lifting & joining in when it’s safe or convenient.  We need to be at the center of life, contributing in a meaningful way to change the world & our corner of it for the better.  We need to hear Christ’s call in our lives, respond to his call with our lives, & contribute in a way that others may neither recognize nor reward, but one that always honors God, saves lives for Christ’s sake, & builds the kingdom.

 

In the Name….                         Copyright 2009 by G.D.Knerr at Lansdale, Pa.  All rights reserved.