At our church meeting, we addressed the current feeling of instability in the world around us and how we plan to address it as a church. This was what was said at the meeting:
One of the common conversations that we had in our elder meetings over the last year was about the burdens that we were all carrying, some good things some not, but the general sense that life is feeling a bit heavier than it has in the past.
Some of this was due to kids moving into adulthood and our parenting role changing.
Some of this had to do with parents getting older and relying on us more.
Some of this had to do with financial insecurity with a shifting economy.
Some of this had to do with social/political unrest.
Some of this had to do with relational stress from friends.
Some of this is coming from aging and the inevitable loss of strength.
I could keep going. The things I just mentioned are the specific identifiers that we can point to and say: maybe it’s that. It seems like something bigger is going on. That it is more pervasive than just the events in your life or mine.
There was this huge upswell of division and upheaval five years ago and the hope was that over time, things would settle and become more stable. People would come out of it with some self-reflection and better priorities and that life feel right again. That didn’t happen. We did reprioritize, but societally, it does not seem like we made the right changes. Life seems really fragile right now, in a lot of ways.
One of the amazing things to recognize in this moment of uneasiness, is how relatively safe and secure our lives have been. For my whole lifetime, the news has been filled with countries who are in the midst of destabilization and people being displaced. Economies falling apart. In a sense, it should not be that much of a surprise that we too can experience some instability.
My point is not to compare what is happening here to what is happening in other places, but to say that we were never promised that everything would go well in this life. As a matter of fact, Jesus promised the opposite:
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” | John 16:33
He says: in this world you will TRIBULATION. What is tribulation? It is deep distress and suffering. Jesus isn’t saying: things might be a little tough sometimes. Rather, your whole world and everything you know to be true may crumble around you. In a way, between what He promises us here, and the record of tribulation throughout history and in other parts of the world, I imagine it getting much worse for us. It may have to get worse in order to get better. OR, we may be at a turning point where it is all downhill from here. I don’t know. In the past, I would talk people back off of the ledge of negativity: It’s not that bad. Now: you may be right.
When Jesus gives this statement, He also doesn’t give any assurances of things working out (as I said, He gives the opposite). He also says: in the midst of this tribulation, my people can have peace.
In the first century, the other-wordly peace of Jesus’ followers under persecution led to the explosive growth of Christianity. Throughout history, Christians in persecution have found a way to keep going and to find meaning in spite of their earthly circumstances. They didn’t ignore the realities of this world; this isn’t about pretending like everything is okay. It is about rooting your hope in something outside of this chaotic world.
Jesus says: take heart; I have overcome the world. This is not just a statement to put on your wall to give you a momentary reprieve. This is THE truth that needs to become bigger than all other truths. The gospel must become, not just something that we believe, but the hope and peace that undergirds everything else. When it holds that place, we can stand in the midst of the storm and not be tossed to and fro by the waves, because we know that no matter what happens in this life, it can not change the fact that Jesus has already overcome the world. This should make us both more calm and more bold.
Fifteen years ago next month, a group of people sat in my living room to talk about who Communion Church would be and what we would do. We were stepping out into a lot of unknown. There was a willingness to boldly risk along with a peace that no matter what God would lead us through.
The book that we studied through at that time was called: Don’t Call it a Comeback: the old faith for a new day. It was written by a collection of authors, and as I opened it up this week, I was reminded of tribulation: since that time, one of the authors shot himself, one disqualified himself from ministry, and another was run out of the denomination he was part of (more because of the direction of the denomination than anything he did)…the other thing I was reminded of is what doesn’t change.
As I read the first chapter: the secrets to reaching the next generation, I was encouraged that this is what we set out to do and this is what we are still aiming at. In this first chapter, pastor Kevin DeYoung gives five steps to making an impact in this world:
Grab them with passion
Win them with love
Hold them with holiness
Challenge them with truth
Amaze them with God
While all of these are still important, it is the first and last one that are going to be our focus for this year: build a passion for the gospel and to be amazed at the otherness of our God. DeYoung says:
If we are going to grab the next generation with the gospel. We must grab them with passion. And to grab them with passion, we must be gripped by it ourselves. The world needs to see Christians burning, not with self-righteous fury at the sliding morals of our country, but with passion for God.
If our passion is in who He is and what He has done and promised us, then we will be able to find peace, no matter what happens in the world around us.