musings.from.the.porch

How do you spend your time? How many people do you really know who are not “in the Club”? Can you be transparent with people who may not understand you? What if you took a risk to listen to - really listen to and show respect for - someone of another religious, spiritual, or philosophical bent? Does that mean I cannot have an opinion? Of course not! But maybe if I shut up more, I might hear the other person, give them the benefit of the doubt, and have true conversation.

Last week, Jason said we need constant conversion. My guess is that I, you, this culture need that conversion in this this area. Especially here in frenetic Seattle. Here are some thoughts as we get ready for Saturday.

This posture toward others is the opposite of talk radio and so much that passes for church talk: making speeches that seem more intent on making points or bolstering the speaker’s image or selling me something. Spoon feeding me rather than really engaging together with me, considering together to come to understanding.  Not really knowing me. Or, even worse, treating me impersonally, as a target upon which to foist the message or a foil to ridicule to sway others.

There is such an emphasis on being right. Correct. Correct belief. Correct politics. Correct forms. Correct dress.

A friend of mine bragged, “I am at the church whenever the doors are open.” Completely busy. WIth a closed circle of friends. He never had time to rubbed shoulders with “outsiders,” never really knew anyone. His world was so small.

Is that how God behaves? Does he really reserve his love and blessing for a small, select few? If that were a business, it would have a lot of enemies and very few customers! I gotta believe God is smarter than Marketing 101! So, why aren’t we?

In fact, Jesus says something more staggeringly better.   

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors do the same, don’t they? And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do? Even the Gentiles do the same, don’t they? So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

God loves this world. God loves the people of this world. He wants to bless this world.

Who does God bless? EVERYONE. His friends and his enemies. Those who are choosing to follow him and be allied with him and those who are choosing to reject him and follow another path.

God does not reserve his love and his special blessing for his friends. In fact, he would not call as “friend” anyone who would do so. His friends are the ones who do as he does: blessing others. Jesus to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. To be perfect means to orient oneself to bless everyone, friend and foe alike. And that means genuine involvement in their lives, not just thinking good thoughts or writing e-mails. It is honest engagement and doing well for them regardless.

Look. God is Kind. Recently, I read this quote that sums up what this is about.

“I don’t know if it is more important to be kind than to be right. But I do know that if you are not kind, you cannot be right.”

Further thinking, talking with others

There is a need to be healthy. We are like a river: there has to be enough coming in and enough going out so that we stay in balance. Otherwise you dry up or turn into a stagnant pond. My experience has been that I am most alive to God when I am out involved and engaged with others and least alive when I am holed up (which is my natural tendency - I am such an introvert!). When I am involved with others, I usually find out who I really am and what I truly believe and I discover questions and insights I never would have thought about on my own.

What does it mean to be involved with “others”? It does not mean I can or must abandon certain morals - some of which are Bible-based, some of which are based on my own weaknesses - simply to be with others. I couldn’t go along with adultery because it is against the 10 commandments and I personally could not go gambling because it feeds a weakness that has been in my family for generations. But by and large, that is the exception. There is so much that I could go with.

Being involved with others means I am willing to stop with another person and see how God would want to bless or speak to that other person. That is showing respect for that person and respect for God’s purposes.

The point

The point is not to substitute one sort of busyness for another. But to be open to the critique that I may be busy in a lot of things that are not really where God has his attention. And if I am completely absorbed in My Club, I am missing out on what God is really up to. And if I am actively shunning “unpleasant” outsiders, I may be missing God all together.

I think what is required is a new set of eyes, a new way of looking. Maybe there will be a lot of “no, not interested” but my guess is that there will be “yes”, too. It takes a willingness to talk, to love. To be outside the box.

This week, Mikaela talked to a woman who came to the tree lot. She just naturally talked with the lady about church and about the porch. She wasn’t interested in traditional church any more, but this sounded cool. And maybe she will join us.

Getting out there 

How do we connect with “outsiders”? Being outside. I read about a cool idea from the church in Chicago who produced those Bramsvan YouTube videos: In-2-It networks. Here is a description:

What are you into? What are your neighbors, friends, and co-workers into?

We believe “IN-2-IT Networks” will be a safe first place to invite a neighbor or co-worker or friend. IN-2-IT Networks are NOT small groups. They are open to anyone, both inside or outside CCC. It is about fun. So. take a look through the new IN-2-IT guide, and give a Point Person a call.

What I like about this is that they are taking the initiative to be out in the community, relating to people, having fun, building bridges. Not requiring people to have to be brave and come into the church.

I also like what the Boise Vineyard has done, with a “Creation Care” initiative. It is fun, fulfilling, profound, and works with people who might otherwise be marginalized.

Finishing up the Quarter

We’ve finished considering together Matthew 5. I hope you have felt included in the conversation. Respected and listened to. I have been challenged and surprised by the insights of everyone, all of us together coming to something that no one speaker could have done on his or her own.

That is part of what we are trying to do in The.Porch. This is an experimental church. Seeing what works, what brings us closer to God, closer to each other, benefiting the community in which we live. What makes the porch different? What guides us? I have been posting some of the principles that we have been using, learning up on the blog. It is part of how we learn. Would you be willing to share your comments up there, too?

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