Yeah!! I've been tagged!! My first time ever.
I've been tagged by Jeff to write about what I think a good church should look like. Here are the rules, according to Barry, who started this thing:
Rules:
1. Post to your blog on the subject "A Manifesto for Church", outlining your thoughts on what an ideal church would/should be like. Posts can be as detailed or as short as you like.
2. Include a copy of these rules.
4. Put a link to your post in the comments to this post.
5. Tag at least 4 other people.
6. What happened to rule 3?
3. Ah, here it is.
So here goes...if only it was as simple to do as it is to cut out of an online Bible and paste into a blog...
Matthew 22:34 - 40 (NIV):
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
My experience in "churches" is limited. After becoming a Christian, I bounced around between a few different churches while in college. Then I attended a church in central Texas for several years, but it was a LOOOOONG way from where I was attending college, so I never really had a sense of family there. After college, I settled in East Texas and attended the same church for 12+ years. I've since moved to Atlanta, and my wife and I have now been attending our current church for a 1 1/2.
One thing was consistent in most of the churches...they all worked really hard at the first half of the scripture above...loving God. But, I would say that most of them were less "successful" in the second part, loving their neighbor.
"And the second is like it" - you mean that loving my neighbor is like loving God? Wow!
I know this is Theology 101, but if we can't do this, how can we have a healthy "church" at all? We can have great programs, good organization, fantastic preaching, a great worship team, and even great worship...but I seem to remember something about a clanging gong and clashing cymbal...or was that a smashing gong and crashing cymbal...or maybe it was...you get the picture.
----------------
Now I am in a pickle. I am VERY new to this blogging thing, and basically Jeff is my only blog friend. He tagged me, so I don't have anyone to tag back! So I am going to ask Jeff to PLEASE tag a couple of people from my comments, if he has a few more he wants to tag.
4 comments:
Hey, I liked the remarks about loving God and loving your neighbor. A couple of years ago we had an extended period of time where God was revealing this to us. In 1 Jn. 4 where he talks about God's love being perfected in us when we love one another...the word "perfected" is the word "completed." It presented itself to us as sort a "love circuit" where the circuit isn't quite complete with just loving God; loving one another completes the circuit.
Don't worry about not having anyone to tag yet. Lots of these people are just plain rebellious and refuse to tag anyone. ;) Thanks for responding to the meme.
P.S. If it's okay with you, I'm going to add you to my blogroll.
Jeff,
I am honored and humbled to be added to your blogroll (seriously). My blog probably won't dig as deep as yours or most of the others in your blogroll, but hey, maybe my roll in this is just to be the plucky comic relief.
Thanks for all your help.
Ha! I'm that rebellious one! :P Whoops, I totally let my blog ettiquette slip. I just was tired, couldn't think of anyone... (I know, worthless excuses!)
Great blog, Aaron, and great post! That pretty much sums it up doesn't it - these two things. It's always much simpler than we think it is. Btw, the blogosphere needs plucky comic relief, there's many of us here that take ourselves too seriously (or maybe that's mostly just my problem). Anyway, welcome!
Sarah -
Congratulations to you (but even more to me!)...you are the first comment on my blog from someone that I've never met personally before. Wow!
It pays to know people that know people, huh? (Thanks Jeff!)
I've read many of your posts, and have enjoyed them muy mucho...you've given me much food for thought. I especially liked the financial report from the people that work with the homeless. The financial accountability of the church (and this is coming from someone who for several years received a steady paycheck from a church) has always been something that I have struggled with. Not accountability as in mis-management or thievery, but more along the lines of "do we really need a building with real hardwood floors?"
Huh....maybe I'll post on that someone day and make lots of people mad. :)
So much for being the comic relief!
Post a Comment