The kenosis hymn in Philippians 2 is the "new" church model for a culture enveloped in rabid, discontinuous change. The Greek word kenosis means quite simply to "empty." In the context of Philippians 2, Jesus "empties" himself utterly and completely for a purpose greater than himself - namely the salvation, reconciliation, and redemption of the world. Jesus "emptied" himself of his position, power, rights, and identity and replaced them with enslavement, human frailty, humiliation, torture, and mortality. His was an act of radical obedience.
We the church, the body of Christ, must embody individually and corporately the radical obedience modelled in Philippians 2. We must "empty" ourselves of the traditions, practices, and theologies that prevent us from becoming "obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross." Radical obedience may entail removing the pews and the hymnals that rest in them from the sanctuary. It may mean turning down the glitz and glamor of our rock-concert worship and turning up the Apostle's Creed. It may mean knocking down a few steeples and putting up a few homeless shelters. It may mean selling less "Church Growth" books for the senior pastor and buying more time catechizing new believers. It may mean closing the doors on hundred-year old-churches and openning our homes to the least, the lost, and the broken - people like you and me.
Radical obedience isn't a model for church growth. It isn't a formula for our "Best Life Now." It isn't a time capsule for "the way church ought to be." Radical obedience is a choice to seek emptiness, enslavement, humility, and death in hopes that our individual and corporate lives will truly embody the petition Jesus taught his followers,"thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
The pursuit of radical obedience isn't easy, but it is simple. I think it can be broken down into 3 steps: 1.) Read the Bible; 2.) Pray; 3.) Do what the Bible says. It seemed to work for Jesus (Yes I know Jesus did not have the New Testament, but he did have the Hebrew Scriptures.)
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
"Shift Happens"
The headlines on the BBC home page read, "Deadly Raid on Pakistani Mosques;" "Dozens Die in India Train Attack;" "Obama to Visit Oil Disaster Zone." Each of these stories describes tragic events that will impact individual lives, communities, and the environment for generations. Sudden, mind numbing changes. The video "Shift Happens" by Jeff Brenman, Karl Finch, and Scott McLeod affirms that our world is changing at a frenetic pace: the top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004; the U.S. Department of Labor estimates that today's learner will have 10-14 jobs by age 38; there are 31 billion searches on Google each month, in 2006 there were 2.7 billion. The world is in a state of non-stop, hyper-change - How should the Church respond?
For many, the church is the last bastion of stability. It is their place of solace, their "sanctuary" (pun intended) from a world rife with uncertainty and instability. The structure, the style, and the culture of their local church provides a sense of security that isn't merely imagined but visceral. The church along with its traditions and rituals is the repository for the values, the morals, and the convictions at the core of their identity - the very values, morals, and convictions a world marked by rapid change is intent upon undermining.
Others in the church respond to hyper-change by seeking cultural relevance. With iPhone in hand, they chase the ever ellusive tail of change hoping to grasp for a few nanoseconds the prize of "relevance." This is often expressed through contemporary multi-media filled worship services, blogs (guilty as charged), Facebook pages, Twitter and Youtube posts.
The fact of the matter is that both responses, though understandable, are motivated by the dictates and patterns of the world rather than faithfulness to the Kingdom of God. Are we to react to the ways of the world or are we to respond to the call and will of God? I know many who pursue the tail of change will reference 1 Corinthians 9 and Paul becoming all things to all people in order to win a few, but the apostle Paul never confused effective communication with watering down the Gospel. Neither did he confuse his religious tradition and heritage with the essence of his faith, his identity, or the Kingdom of God (See Acts 15; Galatians and pretty much most of the Pauline epistles).
I would argue that in a world of vapid change (yes I meant vapid) the church must forego the reactive responses of protectionism and cultural relevance and pursue a response of radical obedience that embodies the words of Paul, "For his [Christ's] sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him..." (Philippians 3:8-9).
Are we willing to give up our "traditions" and our "cultural relevance" in order to gain Christ? Are we willing to give up our comfort, our tastes, and our in house coffee bars to be found in him? Are we the hands and feet of Jesus willing to humble ourselves and become obedient to the point of death in order for a world consumed by relentless change to experience the un-changing love, grace, and mercy of God?
There is no doubt that shift happens, but what about obedience?
For many, the church is the last bastion of stability. It is their place of solace, their "sanctuary" (pun intended) from a world rife with uncertainty and instability. The structure, the style, and the culture of their local church provides a sense of security that isn't merely imagined but visceral. The church along with its traditions and rituals is the repository for the values, the morals, and the convictions at the core of their identity - the very values, morals, and convictions a world marked by rapid change is intent upon undermining.
Others in the church respond to hyper-change by seeking cultural relevance. With iPhone in hand, they chase the ever ellusive tail of change hoping to grasp for a few nanoseconds the prize of "relevance." This is often expressed through contemporary multi-media filled worship services, blogs (guilty as charged), Facebook pages, Twitter and Youtube posts.
The fact of the matter is that both responses, though understandable, are motivated by the dictates and patterns of the world rather than faithfulness to the Kingdom of God. Are we to react to the ways of the world or are we to respond to the call and will of God? I know many who pursue the tail of change will reference 1 Corinthians 9 and Paul becoming all things to all people in order to win a few, but the apostle Paul never confused effective communication with watering down the Gospel. Neither did he confuse his religious tradition and heritage with the essence of his faith, his identity, or the Kingdom of God (See Acts 15; Galatians and pretty much most of the Pauline epistles).
I would argue that in a world of vapid change (yes I meant vapid) the church must forego the reactive responses of protectionism and cultural relevance and pursue a response of radical obedience that embodies the words of Paul, "For his [Christ's] sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him..." (Philippians 3:8-9).
Are we willing to give up our "traditions" and our "cultural relevance" in order to gain Christ? Are we willing to give up our comfort, our tastes, and our in house coffee bars to be found in him? Are we the hands and feet of Jesus willing to humble ourselves and become obedient to the point of death in order for a world consumed by relentless change to experience the un-changing love, grace, and mercy of God?
There is no doubt that shift happens, but what about obedience?
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