We're watching an old DVR'd episode of Divine Restoration this morning. It's like home makeover, except that it's a couple of people who travel around to churches, mostly inner-city churches, who need help upgrading their worship space or prayer garden or church front, or what have you? This morning's episode was about a small storefront church in Ontario who wanted to make their staff offices into a space for youth, where they could offer free breakfast to kids so they won't have to go to school hungry.
The Church brings the volunteers and the dream, and these people make it happen without any big Home Depot sponsorship or name brand power tools- it looks like the church even does the fundraising. The volunteers are people from all generations- kids help strip wallpaper, adults do demo and build and the elders supply food and drink for the workers. At the end, they invite the whole church in to see what they've created together. They thank the volunteers and the tv show people but mostly, they praise God for the idea, the inspiration, the wherewithal, and the resources to make it happen.
I sit and watch these people and think, compared to them, we are playing church. We put together ministries and hope people will come- we are insulted when no one does. We think, what can we do to get people to come?
I wondered why these people get it, and we can't. Is it intellectualism? Scott nailed it for me though- he said it's money- he said we are Too Rich. When we see need, we throw money at it. We don't have to give up anything to help the poor, because we can support them from our excess. It doesn't hurt a bit. Do you know of a parish in New England where the parish staff would even have the idea to give up their office space for a youth center/breakfast program? (it's another thing to build a brand new, state-0f-the-art building... that we'd do!)
It gives me a lot to think of, this Lenten season. How is my richness getting in the way of my relationship with God, and with God's people?
Hmmm...
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another part of the equation is the richness of those you are serving. Of course there are exceptions but in general your teens don't need free breakfast, clothing, housing, or other of lifes most basic physical needs, so they don't look to the church to supply them. Because peoples richness tends to give us a false sense of security, we tend not to look to our faith for that either. End result is you as a minister try to figure out what they need, while they don't see that they need you for anything.
I think in general, people can comprehend that spiritual strength can help them overcome adversity -- but it doesn't occur to them that strengthening their faith would help them do to overcome their richness.
The richer people are, the less opportunity they will give you to serve them. Maybe you can only plan to be ready when that opportunity arises.
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