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Occupy Church (2 of 2)

Anytime I write on a topic that has even a hint of political implication, I run the risk of causing a kerfuffle (admission: I just wanted to write “kerfuffle”).  People usually read what is written through a preformed political filter.  I suspect that yesterday’s topic was no different. 

My conservative friends read “occupy movement” and they think hippie, law-breaking, rabble rousers (admission #2: I just wanted to write “rabble rousers”).  My liberal friends read “occupy movement” and they think Tibetan monks on a holy quest.  Neither is completely true. 

Admittedly, comparing followers of Jesus to a cultural movement of protest isn’t my best effort.  I say this not because it draws political battle lines but because it stops short of any real solution.  Part one of this post isn’t enough to make a lasting impact.  We’ve tried all of that.  Mobilizing Christians usually lasts for about an hour-and-a-half.  Besides that, the church is a notoriously heavy sleeper.  To roust us from our slumber can be an exhausting effort in futility.  We need more.

We need a different kind of occupation.  We need a different kind of movement. 

Acts chapter 2 gives us a picture of what it looks like when the Holy Spirit occupies.  It’s a story that is still sending shock waves throughout history.  The early church experienced the movement of the Holy Spirit and the world was changed.  We need that movement again. 

Moral outrage is a catalyst but not a solution.  The solution has always been the pervading presence of a holy God.  We need the Holy Spirit to sweep through our churches.  We need the Holy Spirit to overtake our cities.  We need the Holy Spirit to occupy our hearts. 

Let us bow in repentance, worship with abandon, and pray for the work of the Holy Spirit.  Because there can be no change without His direction; there can be no movement without His presence.  Anything short of that is just shouting in the streets.

Occupy Church (1 of 2)

Unless you’ve been in lunar orbit or under a rock for the last three months, you’ve probably heard about the Occupy Movement.  Regardless of how you get your news (online, television, newspapers, twitter hashtags or red-faced relatives screaming over the dinner table), you’ve been bombarded with stories about people protesting in our cities.

Outside of the fact that the protestors have tents, signs and anger (the three things any respectable movement must possess), I know very little about these people.  And when I need information, I turn to Wikipedia. 

Wikipedia tells me that these protestors are in 92 cities, in 85 countries, and in 600 communities in the United States.  It gave me a lot of other information about origins, timelines and demands, but I skipped over most of that because…well, frankly, because it’s Wikipedia.

Regardless of how you feel about this movement (or about Wikipedia), there is one fact that we all know to be true: these people are angry.  They’re angry about inequality.  They’re angry about injustice.  And they’re tired of being silent. So they occupy.

As I watch from a distance, I can’t help but wonder one thing: what would happen if the church got angry?

Isn’t it time we spoke out against the legalism that binds people instead of setting them free?  Isn’t it time that we denounce injustice?  Shouldn’t we move to help the poor, the marginalized and the hurting in our communities?  Shouldn’t we be angered by our own sinful condition?

Maybe occupying isn’t such a bad idea.  Maybe it’s time that we occupied our churches, our prayer closets, our altars.  Better yet, maybe it’s time that we decided to occupy actual places where people are hurting.  

A movement won’t happen unless we move, and anger without action is just rage.  The body of Christ must choose to stand, speak and act in a world desperate for change. 

Those occupiers might just be onto something.  

(more on this tomorrow)

 

My Anti-Thanksgiving List

Tomorrow is our day to give thanks, but tomorrow is not yet here.  Therefore, I don't feel guilty for what I am about to do.  Today, I will push back from the table of appreciation.  I will reject the holiday's siren song of indebtedness.  I will revolt. 

Today, I unveil my anti-Thanksgiving list.  If you can handle the rebellion, enjoy.

The Twenty Things I Refuse To Give Thanks For:

1. October Christmas displays
2. Unsalted peanuts
3. Hockey
4. The "greeter" at Wal-Mart who looks at me suspiciously when I exit the store.
5. Vehicle tax
6. Glenn Beck
7. Ear hair
8. Any song by Maroon 5
9. Sticky floors
10. The term "chillaxin"
11. My alarm clock
12. Facebook drama
13. Country music ringtones
14. Mimes
15. Conversations that start with "I don't want to hurt your feelings, but..."
16. Email forwards
17. The decision to desecrate the franchise by producing The Godfather III
18. Dry wine
19. Mosquitoes
20. Viruses

So there you have it.  That's my list.  The Bible says that we should "give thanks in all circumstances" (I Thess. 5:18) but it doesn't say that we have to give thanks for all circumstances.  It's a Biblical loophole that I like to jump through every once in a while.  

I'm glad I got that out of my system.  I feel much better now.  Tomorrow I'll be much more spiritual but today I'm rejecting things like cranberry sauce! (that's #21 on my list)

 

(Originally posted on November 24, 2010.  This list has staying power.)

Benched

I learned early on in my inauspicious and underwhelming basketball career that sometimes the coach says, “Sit down”.  He says it in different ways – “take a break”, “have a seat”,  “let someone else have a turn” or “What was that, Roberts????” – but it always means the same thing…sit down.  

When such orders come down from the man with the clipboard, there is no arguing.  The decision is made.  You can sulk, fume, rant or beg, but none of it works.  It’s time for you to have a seat on the bench.

I hate the bench…

The bench is the place of waiting… 

I hate waiting.

What is true on the court is also true in our lives.  Sometimes God tells us to sit down, and He is just as deliberate as our old coach.  He takes us out of the game for a reason.  Sometimes it’s for correction, sometimes it’s for training, sometimes it’s for the good of the team, and sometimes it’s because He sees how tired you’ve become.  He gives you a high five, a stern look or an instructional aside and then he points to the place of waiting.  It’s time for you to sit down. 

How do you handle that?  How do you handle waiting?  How do you handle letting someone else take your place?  How do you handle sitting when all you want to do is run?

Things are changing for me.  I’m learning to value the bench.  I miss the action, I want to help, I can’t wait to get in the game, but I know the bench is here for a reason.  And I know that God has a plan for me.  

He has a plan for you, too.

So, we’ll wait.  We’ll wait and learn.  We’ll study the game while we're on the bench; we’ll support the team while we're on the bench; we’ll wave towels, fill water bottles and cheer like crazy while we're on the bench.  But, most importantly, we’ll be ready.  We’ll be ready when God calls our number.  We'll be more ready than we ever thought possible because the bench is what we needed all along.