Central Christian Church(Disciples of Christ)

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I once heard someone say if the church is to remain true to the ministry Jesus began it must become more participative, interactive and experiential – which also makes a nice acronym: P.I.E. The basic idea is that the world today is more like the world in which Jesus lived. In other words, we live in a world that expects to participate, to interact and to experience their faith in real ways – and not just as spectators.

People who study trends in today’s churches have made one thing clear: the greatest indicator of a church that is alive and growing isn’t its theological positions or the size of its building or parking lot or even how well the preacher might preach. The greatest indicator of a healthy church is the level of participation; the greater the number of “ministers” with practicing ministries, the greater the health and growth.

How does a person or a church get more participatory, interactive, and experiential? The answer is something of a paradox. While it is about “doing” it is also about “waiting” and “watching.” In his book, Taste and See, Tim Dearborn tells the story of a woman in his church named Grace. For 40 years, Grace had a very successful ministry to street people in Seattle. When asked her secret, she replied, “If you want to have ministry on the streets, then walk slowly and it will happen to you. If you want to avoid it, then walk
fast.”

Jesus teaches us that if we want to develop our spiritual senses and if we want an effective ministry, we also need to walk a little more slowly. We need to learn what spiritual directors call the act and art of “noticing,” and from there begin to get involved.

It is easy to get so caught up in our own concerns and compulsions that we literally walk right past opportunities to be a part of God’s mission. We’re looking one direction when God is actually working, or could be working through us, right where we’re at. The late Jesuit priest and author, Anthony DeMello, describes folks who do this in this way: “They are like the Jews who were straining their eyes toward the future in expectation of a glorious, sensational Messiah, while all along the Messiah was beside them in the form
of a man called Jesus of Nazareth…. You wish to see God? Look at the face of the man next to you. You want to hear him? Listen to the cry of a baby, the loud laughter at a party, the wind rustling in the trees. You want to feel him? Stretch your hand out and hold
someone”

The call of Christ is one of active service to the world. It is participatory, interactive and experiential and always has been. In other words, it asks something of you. So slow down… open your heart and your eyes and prepare to be a part of something that will not only change you – but change the world at the same time.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download

I was reading about a pastor who said that every time he dedicates a baby, he is extremely aware of the necessity for the variety of gifts in his congregation. And I understand what he means. When I do a baby dedication, I not only ask the parents to dedicate themselves to the Christian nurture of their child, I also ask the congregation as a whole. Of course, everyone always answers “yes.” And I believe people mean it. But unless everyone is exercising the gifts God has given them – that can wind up being an empty promise.

There are so many ways to illustrate the importance of working together as the Church: parts in a machine, organs in the human body, even the ecosystem in which we live. We are learning, more and more, that if anything gets out of balance, the whole system suffers. In both the physical and spiritual realms, we are dependent upon each other for entering into the abundant life God has promised.

So how are you doing at exercising the gifts God has given you? Are you encouraging others to exercise the gifts God has given to them? How well are you operating as a part of a living body – made up of distinctly different, but completely essential parts? How you answer that question may be more important than you realize. Life – both in this world and the next – depends on it.

I found a story that is a stark reminder of this very fact. It happened in South Dakota some years ago when a little boy wandered away from his home. The parents couldn’t find him. For three days hundreds of people moved through the prairie, hoping to find the boy before he succumbed to the elements. On the morning of the fourth day, one of the searchers said, “Let us get organized in one long line. We’ll join hands and sweep up and down the prairie until we find the boy.” They formed a line a quarter of a mile long. On the third sweep they found the boy. He was lying dead, in a small ditch behind some brush. Gently the boy’s body was carried to where the mother was waiting. When they put the dead boy in his mother’s arms, there was complete silence for a moment. Then she looked up and said: “Why didn’t you join hands sooner? Why didn’t you join hands sooner?”

Why didn’t we?

On Friday of this week (Jan. 6th), the season of Epiphany begins – exactly 12 days after Christmas day. The word Epiphany means “manifestation” or “showing forth” and it celebrates the visit of the magi to the baby Jesus. The magi, or wise men, were from the East – from a different culture and very likely a different religion. Therefore, Epiphany celebrates the “showing forth” of Christ to all people.

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Adult Christian Education studies will resume at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, January 11th with a class led by David Moody. This class will investigate the church as a “power center” in the political environment, reviewing the history of the Christian church in how it gained, lost, and used political power. This will include evaluating how politics affects the identity of the church in the present day environment. We will share a meal in the Fellowship Hall at 6:15 pm. If possible, please let the church office know that you will be attending so that we know how much food to prepare and which room to use for the class.

Note: We are also pleased to offer a Christian parenting class that will also be offered on Wednesday evenings. The facilitator and specific topic are still being identified at the time of this printing, but further details will be made  available by Sunday’s bulletin.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast: Play in new window | Download