To the Church of Jesus Christ,
Many have pronounced you dying; some have pronounced you dead. Most see no hope. Many have deserted you in the name of seeking "life." And some are still a part of you, participants in the "institution" who are dismissed by many as foolish or deluded…or simply crazy because they continue to participate in a lost cause, to beat a dead horse, to cling to hope when all hope is gone.
Dear Church…here's the thing. Your fate is not ours to determine. You belong to the Triune God, the Alpha and Omega. Jesus Christ is your head. The Spirit courses through your veins. Creation is and always will be yours until the Lord God dwells among his people and there is no more need for you.
I wonder, often, what the criteria is for pronouncing you dead or dying. Is is numbers? Is it wealth? Power in our political system? Respect by the "secular" rulers or powers? Profit? Relevance? How do we judge that you are dying?
Yes, here's the thing. Your fate is not ours to determine. Ours is an invitation to participate with God as God creates, redeems, rules, reconciles and transforms all things and all people. It's a magnificent invitation. It is not a promise for particular outcomes. The invitation is just that. We are not planning the event, nor are we to determine what is "successful" at a particular place and time. We are called to be part of the Body, called to be active in a congregation. We are called to prayer and discernment, not judgment and determination of how things "should be."
I've been in some churches in which I struggle to see the Spirit at work. I've been in others that seem full to overflowing with Spirit. I've learned to be skeptical of my opinions. Often the "Spirit" I see is a reflection of my preferences and comfort. Often the struggle is my lack of imagination and connection. Do we, as your hands and feet, toes and fingers, have work to do to be more faithful to you, more open to the work of the Spirit in our midst, more able to witness to the steadfast love and grace given to us? You bet we do. But does our work determine your health. I don't think so.
Dear Church…here's the thing. Your fate is not ours to determine. Individual congregations come and go. We are, after all, human. No congregation is immortal. No congregation immune to the human frailty that moves us through life to death. But our hope is not in our ability to be the oldest living congregation. Our hope is not in our ability or our definition of your success. Our hope is in the God who established you, who sustains you, and who will inspire and guide you in good times and bad, in health and in struggle, in life and in death.
I am grateful, Dear Church, that you are not mine to control. I am grateful that your fate is not mine to determine. I am grateful that I can trust that the sovereign God who created you and gave you as a gift to our people is working even now to bring about good, to work good when we manage to create chaos, to bring new life and health and wholeness to us and all creation. And I am so grateful to be invited to participate.
You have been pronounced dead and dying before, you will be again. In the meantime, I give thanks for the witness you provide, for the nurture that is promised, for the guidance that is gifted. I am grateful for your saints that have gone before, for my time to work for the Kingdom, and for those who will continue the Kingdom's work long after we are gone.
A humble servant of God...
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