Today, we’re talking about the importance of getting your butt to church.
But to get at this, I want to share with you the complexities in my brain that often prevent me from saying, “It’s time to get your butt to church.”
- The church has been exposed time and time again as being a place of dishonesty, fraud and abuse. So, whereas the pastors who started our church here at St. Peter’s inherited a church that was naturally endowed a great deal of cultural trust; the church we have today is a church that is not a de-facto safe place. Which means that I usually don’t actually go around telling people to get their butt in church.
- The church of my grandparents and even maybe the church of my parents did not have to square with the reality of religious pluralism quite like we do today. We live in a world of vast religious diversity and call me a heretic, but I do not have any interest in expressing my faith by way of hegemonic power that belittles or demeans the faith of people who are different than me. I believe in Jesus and the power of his love and I believe in the inherent value and validity of the faith of my Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, and Buddhist neighbors. Which means that I usually don’t actually go around telling people to get their butt in church.
- The church has a long history of using guilt and shame to achieve its goals of getting people in the pews. We’ve looked down our noses at people who only come on Christmas and Easter, who choose sports over worship on Sunday morning and I hate that sentiment. I have no interest in guilting or shaming anyone to do anything. It simply isn’t how Jesus operated. Which means that I usually don’t actually go around telling people to get their butt in church.
Clearly, there are reasons to pause when considering inviting someone to church. But there are also incredibly compelling reasons in the face of all of this to do just that…to invite someone to join you in getting their butt in church!
I believe that now is the time to get serious about asking yourself, “Am I showing up within and for my faith community in a way that aligns with how much the gospel means to me?” It’s time to get serious about not just keeping this treasure for yourself but asking yourself, “Are there people in my life who would benefit from being a part of the church - who need the hope, the love, the promise of the resurrection? Who would benefit from a church family to love and support them? Do I have people in my life who are Christians in their heart but they’ve lost their way to being a part of a faith community?” What would it look like for you to invite them or assist them in getting connected back up to a faith community?
Because the work of the church is vital in these days. Isolation is an epidemic, hopelessness and anger continue to be on the rise, the needs of our world and our community are growing as migrants face uncertain futures and the unhoused population grows steadily and once foundational structure to support these populations are crumbling. The gospel of Jesus Christ speaks directly into each one of these realities providing hope, promise and a call to act. I believe in the church and the work it does in the world. And so, even though there are a lot of good reasons not to get your butt in church, I am going to invite people to do just that…not so our numbers will soar, but because the church’s work is needed in these days for the life of the world.
Peace,
Pastor Bekki