I hope the real world never operates like this...



My dream last night:



My friend picked me up for church. He had called me and asked if he could. I said sure but that I'd have to get there early to practice for worship. He didn't mind so long as we got a bite to eat before. We got to church had practice. Then service began. Then the musical part of the service. The music was good if not great. I wasn't leading but it was still the best I've ever played. I felt good about the music but bad about the way we were worshiping. We even ended the service with people sitting or kneeling on the ground as a sign of humility. The only problem was, it didn't seem like anyone was humbled. Somehow it felt like everyone was just as haughty as ever, which made me sad about the whole church service. As the time came for me to pack up my guitar and such I see my friend leaving the sanctuary seemly angry, not to mention I wasn't getting a ride home. I went after him to see what was up. He was angry but he wouldn't say why. I asked to wait a sec so I could get my stuff. He said, "couldn't someone else take you home. How about the lead singer from Coldplay?!" The truth was the lead singer was there at church that day, but no one seemed to pay him much attention either because they didn't know him or because they thought they were better than he was. Back to the scenario; I said "FINE!" to my friend...who wasn't being much of a friend and seeing how mad he was about stuff happening at church he wasn't doing much to counteract the trend he so despised! I turned and headed back towards the sanctuary, for I hadn't caught up to my friend until he crossed the street. On the way back I noticed the outside of the building was a gas station with lots of people filling up their cars. I saw another guy from church sitting in his car. I literally flew across the street and waved to that guy while flying. When I landed I got a lot of disgusted looks for what seemed like me being white. I said hello and went back inside the sanctuary to grab my guitar, that still wasn't packed in its case. Upon entering the building one of the elders told me we had to get out soon and pointed to the group assembling behind us. I told him I still had to get my guitar so they'd have to let me in. I got back into the building and the guy who was in charge of the group function, just another lay-person from the church, stops me and says, "Hey we have this building until 4pm you gotta get moving!" I said "Look, I am getting my guitar." He says, "Take a chill-pill, goi!" When I got further in I realized it was a birthday party. They weren't going to let me in because of a birthday party?! Lame, I thought. It took me two seconds to get my guitar packed up and leave the place.

Both Now AND Forevermore

In discussions with friends and strangers, the Church seems to be in two categories in their focus on the Divine; it's either on the Now or the Forevermore (Later). You'll have a more liberal group say that God wants us to be happy, healthy and wise now; to politicize social issues like homelessness, sickness, starvation, etc... things which focus on the now.
Then, there are those who focus on the forevermore. As if we are to bide our time until forever starts, so that we'll be perfect "on that day". So they'll say, "here's books and study materials to use in order to know God as He is so you aren't surprised when you finally get to Heaven". Church is mentioned as a building where people are to gather, to be brought, to be talked to, or be changed by. The saying, "They are so heavenly minded they are of no Earthly good was talking about these".
However there seems to me a missing of the point, on both sides. The point of our existence doesn't seem to be limited to just enjoy life now as the "Now side" would think but, it's also it also isn't just a waiting period until Heaven is revealed as the "Forevermore's" act. To me it's both. Scripture says we were "saved unto good works". And Christ says to those in Revelation, "Depart from me you evil doers, for I never knew you" when they didn't visit the prisoners, feed the hungry, clothe the poor or befriend the stranger, even though they spoke many languages and drove out demons in the Name of Christ. So on the one hand we know that there is eternal life beyond even death, but on the other, does it start there? To me eternity starts here and now and continues after we leave this mortal construct! For the hungry need food, the strangers need friends, the Church needs to do more than open a door and offer a seat, it needs to offer life for both now and forevermore!! The Church needs to get outside it's walls and use it's hands and it's feet for they are the hands and feet of Christ, Himself. Christian people seem to feel no power of Christ; could it be that Christ isn't being exercised in them rather it seems that He's being exorcized out of them by either the lust of this world or the only the joys of the next, all the while missing Him in their midst. Christ said "what you've done to the least, You've done to me." Even Paul had the problem of which he'd rather do stay on earth for the benefit of his flock or be at peace in the sweet "by and by". While we are here in our mortal state we need to help fill needs of that state but not missing the needs of the spiritual and eternal one also.

May His Name be praised both NOW and FOREVERMORE!!

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