“When will play time be over?”…..Confessions of a Pastor
A couple of weeks ago a good friend of mine got back from a recent trip to Zambia, Africa. As he described to me his experience and the hurting and pain that he witnessed during that trip I felt compelled and convicted. I listened to the stories and then thought about the “worries” of my life and church here in the USA and it made me sick to my stomach. I feel like I’m a part of an amazing new church and that we are on the cutting edge of where God is moving but at the very same time in hearing of the pain in Zambia I felt that at the very best we are “playing a really good game of church.”
In my readying this morning I was going through Amos and was reminded that it doesn’t matter how “amazing” or how “cutting edge” our church (or yours) might be if our actions are not connected to caring for the oppressed of the world God despises our festivals; God despises our assemblies. I’m reminded that Jesus can’t stand our worship that is nothing more then a religious show with plenty of good intentions that never amount to any kind of action. I’m embarrassed that I spend my time actually worrying about what people think, who didn’t come on Sunday, who will come next Sunday, or if we will have some new “bells and whistles” this week for this hard hearted generation.
I pray today that Jesus would forgive me of this sin; that Jesus would free me from the “religious show”; that Jesus would empower me to preach His gospel that we have a responsibility to engage the brokenness of our world and that He can’t stand our “play it again church” if what we claim isn’t connected to how we live. Lord, forgive us for we have sinned! Renew a right spirit in us that we might be your instruments in the world. May we live in a way that you delight in our assemblies and can’t wait for our gatherings to take place.
Peace,
Pastor P
chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com; www.wedesiremore.com
