I Saw the Most Beautiful Thing...

This September I will have worked at SPAC for two years. In this time I have gotten to be a part of many different experiences and work with all kinds of different people.  This last Saturday however I got to do something for the very first time. I officiated a wedding.  This was both very exciting and somewhat nerve raking. It seems everyone has a good “wedding story”. You know the type, the ones where people feint or the groom’s pants fall down. The rings fall into a crack on the stage or the Pastor announces the happy couple for the first time by the wrong name... Growing up with Pastors all around me in the family tree I have certainly heard my share of these horror stories.

It is with these in my mind, which were once sources of laughter but on that day the instruments of fear, I entered the church Saturday morning.  There are certainly many stories to tell of that day however there is one story that I will most remember.

It isn’t that I arrived Saturday morning to find water pouring in through the floor in the auditorium.

It isn’t during the ceremony when the bride asked if I had a tissue and I responded, “I do... not I do, I do, but I do”

No it isn’t at the reception when the bouquet was tossed... into the ceiling fan that chopped those flowers up!

No, the story that I will most remember is the look of a young man and a young woman who are most certainly in love. What a gift from our God!  Not only the gift of love, not only that person who we feel connected to but the idea of marriage.

Having the best seat in the house while two declare their love for each other in front of friends, family and God, I was struck with how truly immense the gift of marriage is.

Saturday was more than just a new experience for me,  it was a moment which caused me to add yet another reason to thank God for his goodness to us.

Problems in large church?!

I had a conversation with a friend today that made me think about the problems associated with large churches.

I happen to believe that God wants to use churches of all sizes and shapes to accomplish what he wants to accomplish in our world. Sometimes larger churches have certain advantages, and I think small and mid-sized churches have their advantages too. Since our church is considered by some to be in the larger category, it might be worth out time to think about what this means for us. Could some of these be our blind spots?

For example, sometimes large church leaders have attitude problems. We might be tempted to think that because we're bigger, we must be better. Or more successful. The culture of large church often creates a path that leads toward hubris. Like that word? Hubris has to do with pride and arrogance. Filthy traits.

There's institutional complexity in the large church. All the 'stuff' in the website and in the weekend bulletin can easily create the wrong idea. If we're not careful, we'll start to believe that a lot of ministry activity equals ministry effectivness. That's hardly the case.

Some people like large church because they want to be anonymous. It's fairly easy to 'hide' in a crowd, and that's why some people like churches like ours. A more critical conclusion is that a crowd inhibits opportunities to be known or loved. Is there any chance we have to own this one?

Large churches often get caught up in feeding the monster. "Feeding the monster" is the constant temptation to try to out due the last thing. Larger churches are often known for polished worship sets and extraordinary holiday and special event services. Pull off a great weekend or a jaw dropping Christmas Eve service and the next question is, "How are we going to top that?" Unfortunately, try we do.

But the most sober question that went through my mind today was this one: Is it possible that we're a big fat church that doesn't need God anymore?

There's never a shortage of demands our staff and leaders. My own 'to do' list is never ending. There are weekend services to prepare for, people to care for, meetings to attend, and budgets to prepare. This is the world of large church.

But what are we doing that requires radical dependence on God and His Spirit? If my 'to do' list doesn't drop me to my knees and draw me to prayer, maybe most of my list is goofy.

So that's what I'm thinking about today. What's our church engaged in that requires radical dependence? Want to pray into that with me? Only one rule: It can't be a building program!