"I imagine churches that believe deep friendships change people. [...] When wer'e not careful, our churches can lose the spirit of true hospitality and friendship that are the core of life-changing relationships. When I speak of hospitality, I don't mean a lunch-in-the-church-basebment kind of hospitality. I mean something that takes the kindness and generosity of those meals and adds a new level of vulnerability. This vulnerability is a step beyond accountability. Accountability assumes a person will do her own work as she seeks to live a Christian life while others will do what they can to keep her on track. Vulnerability is a call beyond merely asking others to hold us to living in the way of Jesus [following Jesus :)]--it's inviting them to participate in our efforts to do so. Vulnerability allows those around us to paticipate in our redemption [...]" (p.167).
(Pagitt, Doug, Preaching Re-imagined: the Role of the Sermon in Communities of Faith, Zondervan, 2005)
(me) It's so easy to leave change up to Sunday Morning, Sunday School, Sunday Evening, and Wednesday night preaching. It's easy to think that change is supposed to happen as I read my Bible and pray every day. But would you think I was heretical if I said that I don't think the Bible teaches this? (not to mention I don't think it works, but you'll have to ask me why)
Change is rooted in close friendships. Change is the product of people living out what it means to live together in fellowship with the Spirit and Jesus' blood (see 1 John 1). Accountability is for Joe at PNC bank, or Beth at McDonalds. It's for anyone. But, not vulnerability. Not spirt-led speaking into the lives of our brothers and sisters. Even Sermons though. It may be harder for some than others, but nearly anyone can spend 30 hours on a text of Scripture with ample books preparing a cookie cut out sermon to "deliver" to people complete separated from where they really are in their lives. But not vulnerability. Only those who drink from true, Living Water have the drive to be vulnerable enough to invite another into his story so true building can take place. What would our churches look like if Sunday morning was a corporate, community sermon, being vulnerable was the cost of entrance, and the pews were spelled "SAFETY" ? Seriously, what would we look like?
2 comments:
i would venture to say that it is the vulnerability within our friendships that will lead to opportunities to share with our friends what the pastor (who spent 30 hours on his sermon) presents
do you think the pastor should be presenting the topics of "sharing" or should the people participate to some extent in the sharing of the sermon as we talk it through together? I mean the "teacher" will present truth and still talk a lot, but it's no a top down thing. it's not expert to pauper. It's priests to priests, brother to family. obviously this can't be done with the current model, such as 1000 people discussing together during the sermon. hahaa. no way. but if the model is changed, and the groups smaller, it allows people to be devoted to "teaching" and as such, "learning." I don't know if that makes sense though.
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