Advent IV: Belong

Advent Four: Belong

 

Romans 1:1-7

Paul's greeting to the church at Rome 

 

1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

 

1:2 which was promised beforehand through the prophets in the holy scriptures,

 

1:3 the gospel concerning God’s Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh

 

1:4 and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

 

1:5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the gentiles for the sake of his name,

 

1:6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

 

1:7 To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

Years ago, I learned at one of those “how to grow your church” seminars, I heard the assessment that “people no longer belong to things.” Service clubs such as Rotary and the Lions, lodges such as the Masons and Eastern Star, and even some country clubs were hurting, as younger generations weren’t “joiners” like their parents or grandparents were. Churches, of course, had long been “membership” oriented organizations, wherein members—thanks to their commitment to a given local congregation—could be prevailed upon to financially support the church they “belonged to,” and could be counted on to volunteer for various leadership roles and mission programs. But now, folk just weren’t joining, even though they might attend regularly. “Independent” churches were flourishing, at least partly because they didn’t push “membership” as a requirement to be active in their church. The bottom line was that, due to this “new” development, stewardship efforts and financial campaigns had to become a serious “sales job” to be successful. No membership meant no commitment, beyond being convinced that a particular church was “worthy of my money and my time.” Public relations, slick annual stewardship campaign mailings, and personal stories about “why I give to my church” became the order of the day, if a church wanted to raise the financial support it needed to stay afloat. Those that didn’t market, started the long slide into oblivion. 

 

Even today, hardly a month goes by that I don’t hear of some time-honored organization “going out of business” because they just don’t attract “members” anymore. Recently, I heard of a Rotary Club chapter that held its last meeting, and this in a community were I had served a church, years ago. At that time, that Rotary chapter was a thriving club, with almost any community leader in town as dedicated members and attendees at its monthly dinner meeting. They supported the work of Rotary, offered a couple annual, local scholarships to outstanding high school students, and were highly visible in that community. Even when I was asked to speak to them, as a local religious leader (usually around Christmas or Easter), I could see the “seeds” of their undoing, as their membership was slowly “aging out.” Unfortunately, the whole community was pretty much of this same profile, with younger folk, upon graduating from high school or university, opting to take their life and careers elsewhere, mostly due to wanting a better school system for their future children, and/or desiring a younger pot of folk as clientele for their services. “Rustbelt” towns, as they are known, certainly proliferated throughout Western Pennsylvania, and service clubs, volunteer fire departments, lodges, and most certainly churches in these communities suffered. Many are now gone, totally. 

 

Why did we move away from “belonging” to things? Was it just not “sold” well by the organizations in question? Was it that, in our increasingly “libertarian” views, we chose to keep arms-length from organizations so they couldn’t “buttonhole” us for support? Were we uncomfortable with a level of commitment that would mean we should pony up financial and volunteer support? One phenomenon to this seeming lack of commitment was that, even when folk said they WOULD attend something or show up to help with a project, they wanted to keep their options open “in case something better came along.” Humans have probably always had these “self” motivated kinds of thoughts, but a sense of responsibility and commitment kept them coming, and kept the necessary dollars flowing. This newfound independence meant that they just might opt for something else, even at the last minute, and less and less were they even afraid to say, “Something better came along, and we decided to do that, instead.” The shame of reneging on a “commitment” faded into history, at least for many.

 

 

I remember hearing one church leadership speaker first telling a group of clergy: “People are beginning to church-shop, looking for the best ‘deal,’ the best youth programs for their children, and the best music in worship that whets their appetite.” And while this observation made sense, I can still remember the first time—less than a year after hearing this—that a visiting young couple came through the line after one of our services, and actually TOLD me, “Pastor, we’re new in the area, and we’re CHURCH SHOPPING.” I was dumbfounded. I remember thinking, “May I show you something with a nice Gospel message, highlighted by kick-ass praise music, and a side of low expectations?” 

 

I must say that, throughout my 37 years in ministry, I was able to find “success” in selling the idea of the importance of “belonging” to enough folk to grow a few churches. It took a serious effort, though, and a focus on “quality” of what these churches DID offer folk. Like it or not, the diehard message of “shoulds” and “oughts” has long ceased to motivate folk to attend or support any of our churches, and this even holds true for those “high-commitment,” evangelical and independent congregations we hear so much about. If people today don’t like the rap, they will just vote with their feet, and likewise, if they don’t feel like they. Are getting “fed,” whatever that means. I’m trying not to be too cynical here, and stay focused on the reality of what the church is facing, but I DO wonder if that “I’m not getting fed” line is more of an excuse for lots of other stuff that sends folk packing? OR, does “not being fed” have to do more with “not hearing what I want to hear,” or “hearing something contrary to what I WANT to believe”? 

 

In each church I served, I would often touch on the human need to “belong” in my sermons, and each church offered some kind of “new member class” or orientation program as a prerequisite to joining that congregation. I found that helping people see that “belonging” could be a highly affirming, “anchoring” thing in a time when more and more people are feeling “rootless,” and that making commitments and sticking with them was part of the natural maturing process, as well as a confidence-builder for the individual who was willing to say, emphatically, “YES, I want to belong!” And while we celebrated and honored our new members in worship, we did require them to make their membership vows in front of the congregation, and the congregations were required to reciprocate by reaffirming their vows, as well. By helping new attendees move from “church shopping” to joining the congregation, and then helping them “find their niche” in the church, I was privileged to welcome several hundred new members into the United Methodist Church during my ministry. But the key was always helping them find a sense of “belonging” in a world that was moving rapidly away from the “need” to do so. 

 

I confess that things are much harder for churches now, especially the ones in the major denominations, most of which have been divided or suffered schisms along the same “liberal” and “conservative” fault lines as we see in the society at large. These divisions have made the already timid “seekers” shy away from the mainline churches, as many do not want to land in one or the other “camp.” This may be one big reason the church is failing. In the schism (or “disaffiliation” as it is known) in United Methodism, the conservative Global Methodist Church may be the potential “biggest loser,” as it has cast its die on the conservative crowd, and believes its views of “biblical authority” and “scriptural interpretation” will continue to attract enough people to prosper their organization and accomplish the mission. There are already some serious holes being poked in this theory, as the Global Methodists still have a youth problem AND a great number of the members who joined them in exiting the United Methodist Church are also senior citizens, meaning they are far from immune to the “aging out” process. Those of us in the remnant United Methodist Church are hoping that our emphasis on a broad welcome and an affirmation that God’s love and grace are available to ALL, might be a more attractive message to younger folk for the future, but right now, we are just reeling from the vacuum created by the schism. I also honestly believe the remnant United Methodist leadership is trying to do more to PRESERVE what we are and have than to see the tremendous opportunity we have to REFORM the church. “Territorial” disputes between judicatories and agencies may topple us, if we are not careful. Bishops need to “bish” and not gloat in their power, and agencies must be willing to think WAY outside the box, because the “box” is going to be much, much smaller. Can we build a church again that highlights the joys and benefits of belonging? Only if we stop the pissing contests and hear what the Apostle Paul is trying to tell us in this Romans 1 passage!

 

When my wife and I attend some function and I field the question, “Are you married?”, my answer is to point to Dara across the room and say, “I belong to her.” I don’t say it as a nod to “possession,” but as a statement that I AM married, and for me, this means being fully invested in this most precious relationship. I am also extremely proud to be committed to such an incredible person, Christian, and stimulating personality as Dara is. That she was willing to make this same commitment to me is almost beyond my understanding, but she DID, and I am forever using my best “resell” techniques on her to keep her convinced she didn’t make a big mistake! Am I worthy of the life-long commitment she made to me? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Am I grateful for it? Beyond reason. And am I willing to do all in my power to keep our relationship mutually fulfilling, successful, exciting, and growing? YES! I offer this as my “formula” for what Paul is suggesting when he states in verse 6 that we are “called to BELONG to Christ.” It’s not about possession, it’s about passion. It’s not about “doctrinal purity,” it’s about receiving grace and SPREADING grace. It’s not about “love” as some element of biblical interpretation, but about actually LOVING and BEING loved. We and Jesus want to do both. And while we aren’t “worthy” of Christ’s love, WE HAVE IT, and he sealed this relationship with his life, death, and resurrection. I learned years ago that to “belong” to something you truly believe in means that you have to commit your life to it, at least in some serious measure, “die” to those “better things that might come along,” and help put life back into the vision of the organization or relationship, especially when it is being endangered by apathy or change. So it is with our faith in Christ Jesus, so it is with our other significant relationships, and so it is with Christ’s body, the church. Now is not the time to bail out, it is the time to start bailing! Belonging to Christ means selling out whatever parts of ourselves that get in the way of being willing to commit, show up, and DO. 

 

There are so many parallels between my “belonging” to Jesus and my “belonging” to my spouse. Both of these commitments have overwhelmed the greatest majority of my 71 years on earth. When it comes to Dara, I love her, respect her, adore her, long to spend time with her doing about anything, and want to do all of the things that make her life meaningful and joyous. These are exactly the same things that energize my faith in God through Christ my Lord. “Lord” for me means “one who is worthy of my full attention.” It is NOT a mark of neither possession on God’s part, nor duty, on mine. That “Jesus is my Lord” means the same thing to me as “Dara is my wife.” Love, respect, adoration, mutuality of presence, and service are the operating words for both of these precious relationships. I have often said that a great metaphor for how God loves us is to look at how those of us who have been privileged to be parents love our children. And yet, the Bible tells us we are the “bride” of Christ and the “body” of Christ, which is far more of a “commitment” than is indicated by parentage. After all, good parents WANT their kids to “move on” and find their own life. God never wants that for us, and God forbid that WE ever believe we have “outgrown” what it means to belong to Christ! It is with this kind of passion and commitment that Paul says that we are CALLED to belong to Christ. Even in this, God is not an autocrat demanding our allegiance, but a lover, wooing us with grace. Friends, may we CELEBRATE what it means to BELONG in this Advent season! Shalom!