Tag: #Church

What Is Church? A Country Club? A Social Organization?

Published by mhelbert on March 7, 2024

Some medical providers say that it’s not healthy to stuff emotions. Holding feelings deep within us causes all sorts of issues, both mental and physical. So, I’m gonna blame my venting in recent posts on maintaining my own mental health. There.
Now that that’s done, I can move on to a similar topic from a different angle. I have spent a lot of time writing and talking about the shortcomings of the Church. It’s really easy to point out the negatives. And, the Church has quite a list of outstanding needs. I mentioned only a few in these posts. Today, however, I’d like to take a few minutes to talk about what I think the Church can look like. In the mind of Mike, what would the ideal Church be? So, let’s have a look, shall we?
First and foremost, the Church must be wholly devoted to God. Without that devotion, frankly, there is no such thing AS Church. Without it the Church is nothing more than a social justice organization. Or, worse, a clique of angry people who have no clue what it is that they are doing.
Messiah Jesus made it possible for the world to experience the fruit of the defeat of sin and death. He, alone, has made the Way for the world to know God. Jesus did provide an example of how humans can, (should?), live together, that was not His primary goal. His primary goal was to reveal to us the Reign of God in the world. In Biblical terms that’s called the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus ushered in a new age where humanity may be restored to the true Image Bearers of God in the world. To be stewards of the world. To work in partnership with God to be a blessing to what God said in the beginning, was the Tov Me’od creation. That is, the Very Good creation. What that may look like deserves a series of blog posts of its own. Let’s just say, God thinks the world is very good. The Church has an obligation to care for it.
Second, the Church is a community like no other. The Apostle Paul used the image of a human body to describe it. We are all different, re. Diverse, yet members of One body. He wrote that a toe can’t say that it’s not part of the body. I think we’ve all experienced that. Stub a toe and the whole body is acutely aware of it. The Church as body is one organism that is made of many parts that are completely dependent on one another. Only Messiah Jesus is the head. I am certainly not. What would this look like in real life? Well, competition among various members would need to go away. Trying to cut off or remove another member would result, at best, despoil Messiah’s Body. At worst? Well, just take a look around at all of the divisions and fighting that goes on among those who consider themselves “Us” as they flip the bird at “Them.” This can only change if we are all devoted to God alone.
Third, the Church is by definition a Welcoming Community. Now, I don’t mean that we’re nice to people. Nor, when someone new steps into our church we nod our heads and smile at them. It’s not even going up to them and shaking their hand. It is those things, to be sure. But, it is far more than that. Being a Welcoming Community means that we are proactive and take our Welcome to where it is most needed. The Bible gives us a very basic outline of who that is. They are the widows, the orphans, and the foreigner who dwells among us. The outcast; the leper; the Other…whoever is NOT welcomed by those outside of the Welcoming Community. In the early centuries of the Church when plague ravaged the countryside, it was the Church who entered into harms way to offer comfort and care to those who were sick and dying. St. Francis is known for his entering into the leper colonies to cleanse the sores and to comfort those who were the most forgotten. Jesus went to those who were considered less than human by the powers that be in order to heal and to share the Good News that God loved them and cared for them and WELCOMED them. That’s what Welcoming Community looks like.
I could go on and on about how the Church is a sacrificing body. That it is the Temple where the Holy Spirit lives. How it has an obligation to speak prophetically to the world by speaking truth to power. These are only a few of the attributes that I think would go a long way toward defining the Church.
What are some of your thoughts?
Can you add to this list?
Are you a part of this?

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Sojourning for a Little While. Let’s Do It Right.

Published by mhelbert on March 4, 2024

Last week I wrote a rather harsh post directed toward those who say that they follow Jesus. I am so frustrated with my sisters and brothers who, like Esau who gave away his birthright as the firstborn because he was hungry. The quintessential short-sighted person. The Church has given away its birthright as well. And, for an equally short-sighted reason.
Political power and control.
Such a fickle mistress is politics. I have been around a long time and have seen political fortunes ebb and flow with the tide of public opinion. For the Body of Christ to embrace such nonsense is truly beyond frustrating.
I know that many, (most?), who read this think that I’m over reacting. All of this is simply a passing thing. Once humanity advances a bit more and becomes more empathetic and kind, these stone age ideas will pass just as the Neanderthal. There’s a problem with that thinking. Neanderthal DNA is still present in modern Homo Sapiens. It has persisted far beyond it’s original form. So shall the ideas and cultural baggage that my fellow pilgrims on this Way.
Let me give a couple of examples that I heard this past weekend. I was with some others having coffee. One of them spoke about someone who was a tad more liberal than he. Another person interjected something along the lines of, “What, is she some sort of liberal? Does she recognize the “Trans Movement”? The other said that it wasn’t about the “Trans Movement.”
The exchange was biting and hostile. And, a purely political exchange.
The same person who had replied to that earlier exchange shared a story about being in New York City for the Macy’s parade. After the parade there were apparently protesters outside of Macy’s. They were protesting Macy’s selling of mink coats. This person said that he went up to the protesters and made the statement that they must be Pro-Life. After all, if they protested the slaughter of animals they surely must be against the slaughter of innocent unborn children. He emphasized his argument until some of the protesters became uncomfortable. But, to him, this was a victory for God. I think that if he wanted to actually do something helpful he should have joined the protesters. After all, he is Pro-Life!
These examples seem to be insignificant to most people. Maybe you, dear reader. The ramblings of people who have no idea what the culture is moving toward. Ok. I’ll give you that.
For me, however, these are people who claim to believe in God the Father of Jesus. Their faith is wrapped up in how they interpret and understand the Scripture. The same Scripture that I love. This is painful for me. These folks have walked away from their First Love in order to embrace a particular political position. Then, they say that their position is godly and the Only True Way to Christian. In their judgment any deviation from their narrow, conservative political position amounts to heresy. And, heretics are to be stoned.
When I decry the way the Church has been compromised by the powers and politics of humanity I am sharing the pain that I feel. The pain that Jesus and the Church are being misrepresented by hateful people. The pain that the Church has allowed herself to be dragged down to such a level where she can no longer be the voice of God’s Love and Good Grace to the world. And, the pain that so many of my sisters and brothers are bound up in the chains which have lies for links.
If anything that I write or teach or preach may break some of those links, then I will rejoice.
If God’s Good Grace and Love may find a way into this world to reveal health and healing, that will answer prayers.
If I, and others, (I’m surely not alone in this), can represent Jesus and the Church in a way that honors both God and Humanity, my job will be done well.
So, when I rant about the Church and the ways in which she has been slandered and mislead, grant me some grace. This is my heart and my passion.

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Misrepresenting the Church in Media

Published by mhelbert on February 17, 2024

I’m pretty much giving up on watching or listening to what the media claims is ‘news.’ It doesn’t matter what perspective the particular medium holds politically, socially, or economically. They all seem to be nothing more than providing scintillating gibberish in order to garner clicks or viewer. Gotta make the advertisers happy! No matter how much the stories must suffer.
And, suffer they do.
Some subjects seem to be considered “hands off.” We don’t want to offend our cash cow, er, constituent followers. This already tints the reporting. There is necessarily a bias toward any story that may make some folks uncomfortable.
That is truly devastating to people’s ability to know what’s going on. We aren’t trusted to be able to determine how an event or story will impact us. We are spoon fed the useless pablum of the current news cycle. Then we wonder why so many people miss the reality that is our life together.
One of my pet peeves, (you had to expect that there would be a peeve in here somewhere!), is how the media misrepresents the Church in the U.S. The most common misrepresentation is how the conservative evangelical church has become the action wing of the GOP. When religion and politics mix anywhere it’s a bad thing. When that happens within a reactionary political environment the outcome gets down right dangerous. Religion politicized is theocracy. Theocracy breeds things like the Inquisition. It makes the genocide of Indigenous People acceptable. Or, so says the Doctrine of Discovery. What we’re seeing in today’s world politic is the weaponization of religion in culture wars. In those, all are punished.
There is another side to this, however. One that isn’t so obvious. Yet, it is just as detrimental to the so-called sanctity of the Fifth Estate. This is how those who are progressive or liberal also use the news as political cannon fodder. They project their perception of their god onto the same social and cultural issues that there conservative sisters and brother. God is pro whatever it is that they believe holds people back from attaining their greatest potential. Of course, that potential is defined by themselves without the benefit of opinions of those who are affected by their humanitarian sensibilities.
Then, of course,there are the majority who really don’t give a damn. All they want is the weather forecast and the sports news. The rest is just something that allows them time to go to the bathroom and get a snack.
Some of you readers may wonder why I wrote this during the season of Lent. It all sounds like a rejection of turning religion into a political tool. And, it is that, to be sure. However, it’s also a call to repentance. And, repentance is kind of a key element to the Lenten season. It’s a time to reflect and introspect. During Lent we are told that from dust we come, to dust we return. Our perspective on our own importance and raison d’etre is held up to the Light of Messiah Jesus. In that light we may be able to see our folly and foibles as they are. Our politics may be important to us. But, in that bright light they may become transparent, unable to be seen at all.
When I consider this, I see God shaking the Divine Head. I’m not sure whether it’s in wonder, disbelief, or disgust. For when we put our politics and our perceptions of what’s good and important above the knowledge and love of God, well, repentance is necessary.
So, in this Lenten season I would call on the Church, big “C,” to repent. Put aside privilege and priority in order to sit and listen. Listen. Listen.
Perhaps once we shut up we will be able to actually hear God weeping.

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Should the Church Worry that People Don’t Study the Scriptures?

Published by mhelbert on September 5, 2022

The simple answer is, “Duh, yeah!” After all, isn’t the Church pretty much founded on what is read in the Scriptures?

However, in my experience nothing is ever simple. Especially when it comes to what people hold on to as “deep and personal belief.”

Back when I was a part of the Evangelical community, we considered things like Bible study, prayer, and worship the most sacred and necessary things that anyone could do. Actually, it wasn’t a matter of what ‘could’ be done. These things MUST be practiced daily. There is a little ditty that we used to sing about
“Read your Bible, pray everyday and you’ll grow, grow, grow.
Neglect your Bible, forget to pray and you’ll shrink, shrink, shrink.”

Catchy, right?

We got together at least once a week, (sometimes we had one night per week Off!), to study the “Word” and pray. On Sunday morning there would be adult Sunday school. Nearly every member attended these.
Beside these pretty much mandatory meetings we were expected to spend substantial time in private study and prayer during the week.
We were told that if we weren’t spending at least a half-hour in prayer and that much in Bible reading or devotions we were failing in our commitment to God.
For many, (most?), this resulted in shame and guilt that could become emotionally overwhelming.
And, I think that the leaders knew this and encouraged it. Shame and guilt are incredibly strong motivators. They rank right up there with fear.
We all know that the Church has historically operated with a large dose of fear to keep the masses in line.

I say all this because since I ran from the Evangelical fold a decade ago I think that I’ve learned a couple things that those folks could never understand.

I lead a Bible study at my church. I joined the good folks at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church about four years ago and I’ve been the Bible guy for a bit over three of those years. During this time the church has grown a lot. We have more than tripled in size. The outreach of the church has grown equally. It’s a lot of fun watching so many people joining in the work of running a church.

Great!

Awesome!

Huzzah!

With all of these cool things happening you’d think that folks would be flocking to learn about what’s in the Bible. They would be knocking down the doors of their prayer closets to meet God in prayer and meditation.

Right?

Well, not so much, really.

Let’s say, out of a hundred and twenty or so people less than 10 attend Bible study.
I’d guestimate that maybe another dozen or so consistently follow any kind of Spiritual formation practices.
So, for the sake of discussion, about 80% of the church are involved in things that are considered shame-worthy in most Evangelical communities.

Ok. So what?

I mentioned above that I have learned a few things since my escape from Evangelicalism. One of those things is that people are gonna ‘people.’

And that’s OK.

I see the zeal and joy of those people as they serve one another and the church and it makes my heart glad.
I listen to the stories that they have to tell about their kids and grandkids and I have to smile.
These are people who love.
They love their families.
They love their friends.
They love their church family.
And, they love God!

We are not all made the same. We all have different personalities, talents, and gifts that we bring to the table. Not all are going to be so-called “Spiritual Giants” or biblical scholars.
It’s enough that we all agree that love is the greatest common practice that we all share.
I am more than content with the way things are at St. B’s.
We are a family that is growing in faith and love.
When we love, we grow, grow, grow……

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More Musing on Paul

Published by mhelbert on July 24, 2020

I’ve been having a lot of fun studying Paul in general and, right now, his first letter to the Church at Corinth. Every time that I open the text or read the commentaries something new pops out. The world in which Paul wrote is so very different from ours. Besides the language there are the customs and culture that we simply cannot fully understand from our vantage point some 2,000 years away.
Yet, people are people regardless of where, or when, we find them. In an old television program the announcer told us that the stories we were about to hear were true. The names, however, were changed to protect the innocent. We were then able to relate to the characters because, like the announcer said, “They were real”!
The Bible can sometimes be kind of like that. The people and their stories were real. Only in this case, it’s the Time that’s changed. We can still relate to those folks. They were just like us in more ways than, perhaps, we’d like to admit.
So, when I read something like 1 Cor. 5:10-11 I can see a reflection of myself in those words. These two verses contain a similar catalog of vices. I understand that these kinds of lists existed in many forms at that time. They were useful rhetorically to paint images that would be easily remembered by people in an oral tradition. They also gave people like Paul a base-line template from which to draw common vices that readers/hearers could easily understand and relate to. They were part of a “common lexicon” of terms.
The people in the Church would have absolutely grasped what Paul was trying to tell them regarding those who are “immoral” or “grasping” or “swindlers.” And, they would have realized that if they were supposed to stay away from such people, they would need to remove themselves from society.
But, Paul wasn’t talking about people who practiced any of those listed vices in general. His pen was not aimed at anyone who was not a part of the Church. He agreed that it would be impossible to live and work in society if we had to avoid indiscriminate mixing with these people.
Apparently, the folks in the Church chose to mis-read Paul. They looked at his instructions from what may have been a previous letter and said, “What a Maroon! He thinks that we should build walls around us and live like hermits not mixing with anyone who simply lives life like a normal person.”
Yeah, I’m taking some liberties here. But, it is not to far from the mark when we consider how the so-called “Wise” people of the Church were looking for any reason to denigrate Paul. They worked hard to discredit him because he wasn’t their Ideal as a wise person.
Paul, in these verses, clarified his position.
He told them that he was talking about any so-called Sister or Brother IN. THE. CHURCH.
Now, there are a couple things here that pop out. These are things that the Church today would be wise to grasp.
First, Paul is NOT talking about our obligation to be Prophetic voices in our culture. We are called, yeah, I wrote “called,” to speak Truth to Power. I’ve written this before and I’ll write it again in the future. The systems that are baked into culture are not immune to the rebuke of the Lord Jesus as it is spoken through His followers. Racism, classism, homophobia, xenophobia, capitalism, socialism, and on and on and on all need to be addressed thoughtfully and, in the case of the Church, prayerfully. (**Prayerfully does not mean that action doesn’t need to take place. Prayerfully may help us discern WHAT action to take.)
Marching, protesting, boycotting, writing and speaking are all good and viable ways to speak to Power and, yes, judge it.
Second, Paul seemed to say that whatever my non-believing neighbor does that I would consider ‘sin’ is simply not my concern. If my neighbor is unfaithful to his wife, it’s not my job to go knock on his door and confront him. Of course, if the topic comes up in a natural discussion with him I may mention my opinion. But, I have no business judging him for it.
That’s God’s job and way above my pay grade.
However, if someone in the Church who is considered a Sister or Brother is involved in some illicit behavior or attitude, the Church does have a responsibility to deal with it. I have tried to emphasize Paul’s concern for the Church. He is ultimately concerned with Unity and with Building Up. Everything else is subordinate to those two things. And, in Paul’s mind what was happening at Corinth was damaging the Church, not building it up.
That’s part of my purpose, too. I truly desire that the Church become the best representation of Yahweh as is possible. Yeah, I get testy sometimes. I call out hypocrisy and error when I find it. I also encourage and root for those who are getting it right.
Unfortunately, there seems to be more error than not these days. Especially, when it comes to the Church’s responsibility to speak prophetically to culture AND in keeping its own house in order.
So, here I am with my little platform typing away day by day not knowing if anyone is actually paying attention. But, like I mentioned above, this is part of my ‘calling.’
I appreciate those who humor me by reading my ramblings.
Thanks!

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“Think” Is Not A Dirty Word

Published by mhelbert on February 9, 2020

I’m not going to post every day about my health. I know, I know, you’re all waiting with bated breath to find out the next tidbit of information about my new war with cancer.
I will continue to update that regularly.
But, this is my blog and I get to decide what to write about.
And, today I want to spend a little time to talk about ‘Thinking.’

Specifically, thinking in the context of the Church.

I’ve shared some about my current journey with the community at St. Barnabas and the Episcopal Church.
I have been walking with them for almost a year and a half.
And, I am enjoying the journey a lot.

This morning I was talking with someone who has been a regular at the Sunday morning Bible Study that I help out with. She shared that she had never attended any kind of Sunday School before. For whatever reason, they never interested her. This study, though, seems to have piqued her curiosity. She stated that what I bring to the study is a desire to make people think.
As we continued to talk she mentioned that Thinking seemed to be what inspires me to lead this way. That I seem “at home” here because of that.

I thought for a second.
You know, she was right.
One of the things that I really appreciate about the Episcopal Church is that it is not afraid of ‘thinking’ people. It’s not afraid of questions. And, more importantly, it’s not afraid of Paradox or Ambiguity.

I think that lies at the heart of how the Church should truly be.

I have been in churches where the leadership tells parishioners how and what to think. Several years ago one pastor told us that, although he couldn’t tell us how to vote from the pulpit, if we wanted we could see him after the service and he would be happy to convey that information. The scariest part of that would have been if anyone actually took him up on it.
These church leaders try to make themselves out to be the chosen oracles of God on Earth. People are expected to hear their words as Gospel.
Yeah, I know, many of them pray before they speak that only the words that God would desire should come out of their mouths. At best, this is a false humility that anyone with a brain should see through. The pastor is going to say whatever was prepared, God’s words or not.
The biggest problem with that is that all of the words that are spoken after such a prayer are then regarded as God Ordained. After all, God allowed them to be spoken! Right?
Wrong.
On so many levels that’s wrong.
But, that’s a subject for another post.

What I want to emphasize here is that churches with authoritarian leadership want everyone to accept what they say as the Certain Words and Position of God.
No questions will be accepted.
No other opinions are welcome.
God said it, (through them); I believe it, (Cause they said so); That settles it, (got no choice!).

The Episcopal Church, however, is not like that at all. While there are boundaries, as there should be, anything within those bounds is up for discussion. I am welcome to think for myself and assert my own thoughts on any number of topics regarding God, Jesus, the Church, and anything else that presents an interest to me.
Perhaps more importantly, I am allowed to give others the same grace and latitude to think and believe as they are led by God’s Spirit.
After all, isn’t that what this is all about?
Being led by God’s Spirit?
Trusting that God speaks through the multitude and not simply the ordained?

“Think” is Not a dirty word.

“Think” is a Gift from God that we are obligated to do.

“Think” is how we emulate God whose Image we are.

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What is Corporate Worship for the Church? Here’s One Person’s Take

Published by mhelbert on January 4, 2019

Many, many years ago I was the music leader at a small, charismatic church. Back then we called the position I held the Worship leader. It was my job to prepare music and other resources like readings drama for Sunday services. I spent a lot of time and money finding, purchasing, and arranging music for the limited team that we had. Some folks might think that it’s easy to take a full band arrangement and scaling it back for 2-3 pieces and a vocalist or 2. It’s not.

I remember one time we had some visiting missionaries. One of the members of that team questioned why I had the music and stuff all ready prior to the service. She thought that true spiritual worship had to “flow” from the Holy Spirit at that very moment. Even preparing music a day ahead of time would potentially stifle the movement of the Spirit. At that time I was pretty sure that the Holy Spirit was capable of knowing what was coming in some distant future. I could prepare for that time right now and it would be perfectly in line with what God desired.

But, even that has the potential to be off the mark.

I have since begun to believe that corporate worship for the Church should contain those things that make the Church remarkable. These things are the Word and the Table. Anything more than those can be done, and usually much better, by people outside of the Church. So, I have to say that I totally agree with what Jonathan Aigner wrote below.

Please note that I think that what Aigner wrote is appropriate for corporate worship. Other forms of prayer and singing may be quite appropriate for other occasions.

Worship Myth: Worship Must Be Spontaneous

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