The church is in the Wild

Human beings in a mob

What’s a mob to a king?

What’s a king to a god?

What’s a god to a non-believer?

Who don’t believe in anything?

We make it out alive

All right, all right

No church in the wild

Lyrics from the song “No Church in the Wild” Kayne West with Jay-Z featuring Frank Ocean

A couple months ago the tune to this song got stuck in my head.  Rap music has never been my genre of choice when it comes to music, but I heard this song played a lot and wanted to know the name of it and discovered that this song had some theology in it. 

I will warn you, this song is very colorful and there is a reason I am not going into all the words of this song.  However, as colorful as it may be it does lament the wild that seems to be our world at times or for some a constant reality.  Perhaps, “no church in the wild” could be lifted up as a lament psalm of sorts as it asks the question, “I’m wondering if a thug’s prayers reach.” There seems to be a genuine thirst for God when questioning the existence of God while at the same time wondering if one’s prayers are heard.

In a song that is played in pop culture, questioning the existence of God and critiquing (to put it nicely) organized religion; Christians should take this lament seriously and ask how we could minister to some of the pain described in this song. 

Saying there is “no church in the wild” is flat out unchristian.  There is no place the church will not go!  If our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ descended into hell (or the dead) then what we proclaim each week is that there is NO place in this universe our God will not go to save us. And guess what?  There is no place on earth our God won’t send His church. 

In Scripture we discover how God was with the Israelites in the wilderness and we know that God is with us when we find ourselves in the wilderness.  As a missionary church and congregation we must prayerfully ask where God will send us next so those who find themselves in the wilderness may know the God who is revealed to us in Christ.  What’s a god to a non-believer?  Who don’t believe in anything?  A question we ask ourselves more and more in a post-modern age.  How do we share the Good News of Christ and talk about the love of God to someone who doesn’t believe in anything?  We share the Good News by serving the needs of those who find life to be in the wilderness, we be the Church in the wilderness! 

Same Good News in a Changing World.

St. Paul in Galatians 1:6-7 writes, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.”

Why are we attracted to perversions of the gospel or messages that compete with the good news of Jesus Christ?  Maybe we want to be gods, and deep down we resent the fact that we need a savior.  This is why we are attracted to different gospels, and messages that compete with the gospel in our world today because we want to be our own savior. 

Our mission here at St. John Lutheran Windfall has always been to reach out to others with the gospel.  This doesn’t mean that we have always done it perfectly or haven’t been distracted by other things in effectively carrying out this mission.  The body of Christ is both holy and sinful; we are going to miss the mark from time to time.  Though I believe that our gospel centered mission and outreach is growing and will continue to grow.  May we be centered in prayer that as we continue to bloom and grow in Christ that our service inside and outside our congregation will always have the Good News as the cornerstone of any ministry, program, gathering or event that we offer. 

I say all of this because it seems that many in our society are scared because things are changing.  We see change in many vocations, in education and in the church.  For example, the post office can’t function the way it always has because of the change in how we communicate with one another.  This doesn’t mean all the changes we are experiencing are bad, many things will just be different and many are afraid because we don’t know what all of this will look like in the end. 

As for the church in North America as part of the mainline protestant demographic everyone is experiencing membership decline and fear what the future will bring.  This creates the perfect scenario where we would be tempted by “other gospels” to survive and not be faithful to the message that has served as the rock of the church for over two thousand years and our congregation for 177.  Throughout the gospel we are told “Do not be afraid” and are in fact comforted with Good News! 

In a changing world with empty promises, competing messages and false gospels may we be faithful to the gospel, may our mission always be centered in the gospel, may we not be distracted by fears of change or survival, but comforted in the good news that Jesus Christ, who was crucified and whom God raised from the dead, is Lord over all creation and let’s continue to share this Good News with others and one another. 

St. John Lutheran (Windfall) 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering

The theme for the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering is "citizens with the saints."

"For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconicle both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone." (Ephesians 2:14-20)

Youth and adults from St. John Lutheran Church (Windfall) Cardington, OH are getting ready to travel to New Orleans, LA for the 2012 ELCA youth gathering.

I pray that the Holy Spirit transforms us through this experience! We have checked our bags and gone through security. Our fellowship on this trip has begun! Christ our conerstone with lead through some joyful surprises as this journey unfolds.

Keep us and the over 30,000 other Lutherans who are attending this gathering in your prayers.

posted from Bloggeroid