Things Not For Sale--October 29, 2021

Things Not For Sale--October 29, 2021

"Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith." [Hebrews 13:7]

Maybe we should make sure we're all on the same page here first: are we disciples of a Master Teacher, or are we consumers of a religious product?  The difference means everything.

We live in a time and a culture that sees just about everything as a product to be bought, from food to housing to shoes to even religious faith.  We even talk about "church shopping," casting ourselves as the customers (who are, by definition in such a culture, "always right" about what we want) who sample different product lines--Protestant or Catholic, Lutheran or Baptist, Presbyterian or non-denominational (which, come on, is itself a "brand" too).  We may fine-tune our church-shopping as well even further--is a congregation kid-friendly or senior-focused?  Liberal or conservative?  High church or low-church?  Traditional or contemporary?  The list goes on and on.  Yeah--we have all learned to treat our faith as a product to be bought, and maybe it never even dawned on us that it could be any different.

You may well have heard that line attributed to the late Senate Chaplain Richard Halverson that says, “In the beginning the church was a fellowship of men and women centering on the living Christ. Then the church moved to Greece, where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome, where it became an institution. Next it moved to Europe where it became a culture, and, finally, it moved to America where it became a business."  If that isn't the default assumption of a lot of our neighbors, I'll eat my hat.

It makes a difference, though, to see a living community centered on Jesus becoming a product that I choose to "buy into" or not.  In fact, it makes all the difference in the world.  That's because a business has to cater to the wishes and whims of its customers, and then it doesn't get to offer any direction, wisdom, guidance, or help for shaping the kind of people those customers become.  The consumer is king, and the marketplace has to find out, through focus groups, market analysis, and advertising campaigns, what the Almighty consumer wants.  And if I want a religion that gives me permission to ignore my neighbors, centered on a Lord who endorses my selfishness and lets me call it "freedom," preached by voices who will only tell me what I want to hear, and set to the music of only the hymns and songs and styles I already like, well, that's "my right"... right?

But on the other hand, if the Christian faith is not a product to be ordered with a click of a button and left in a box at my doorstep, but rather about becoming like Jesus, well, then I'm not the king anymore.  In fact, I'll come to the realization that--<gulp!>--I never was.  And maybe then I'll realize that the point, the goal, of the Christian faith isn't to amuse or entertain me or to meet with my approval, but rather for God to shape me through love into a living embodiment of God's own love in Christ.  In other words, it's not about me choosing to be a Christian because it's the best religious product on the market, but rather it's about God claiming me in Christ to make me more fully like Jesus.

Well, if that's anywhere close to being in the right ballpark, then the way we see leaders will be different, too.  Instead of deciding that the good leaders in church are those who say the things we already like, who don't challenge our prejudices or stretch us to grow, or those who entertain people or cater to what's popular and easy, we'll choose leaders who help us to be more like the love of Jesus... because we see it in them already in some way.  If Christianity is a consumer product, then leaders are just the best salesmen with the best marketing gimmicks.  But if Christianity is about becoming disciples of the One who is Love, then good leaders will help us more fully to embody the Love named Jesus.

That's what the writer of Hebrews sees.  When he thinks of what good leaders in the Christian community are, he doesn't say, "You know, the ones who could really pack 'em in the pews and who sold a million books and inspirational desk calendars!"  And he doesn't think of "the people who made their churches rich and got rich doing it," either.  He says, "Look at the lives of the ones who have been good leaders in your life--and look at how they have reflected the love of Jesus into your life, and brought that love out of you as well."  The writer of Hebrews knows what we too often forget--this faith of ours is not a product being sold, but a way of life we learn from others who are along the way with us.  

Think today of people who have been good, faithful leaders like that in your life--who have been the people who have shown you the face and the love of Jesus? Who have been the people who have helped to bring that out of you and to help you to be shaped by that love?  And who might just one day tell their own life story of faith and name you as one of the influences on their journey?

That's a worthwhile way to spend your lifetime.

Lord Jesus, thank you for the people you have put in our lives who shape us in your likeness and bring forth your kind of love from within us.  Help us, too, to be leaders in the roles you offer us, so that others may grow in love, too.