Conversation #273

On a recent, fictional evening several friends and I were talking and the conversation turned to our spiritual lives. Each of us trusts in Christ and is active in different communities of faith here in town, though with varying degrees of satisfaction. It was, in fact, dissatisfaction that prompted the conversation, when Ben, after asking about my church, commented that he had decided to look for a new church to call home. I asked what had prompted his decision.

“I’ve felt less and less comfortable there ever since they began changing communion”, he replied. I asked for more information.

“Well, we always used to use little cubes of Wonder Bread”, he began. "I was fine with that. That, to me, is communion. That’s what I want when I receive Holy Communion. It’s what I’m used to, ever since I was a little kid. But they started tinkering with it.”

“How?” I asked, eager to understand my friend’s unhappiness.

“Well … what do you use for communion?” he asked.

“We use those little round wafers”, I answered.

“I could never stay in a church like that”, chimed in Steve, who up until this point had been only listening. “Way too formal. At our church we use pita bread”.

This remark brought Ben’s full concern to the surface. “That was the first step in the downward spiral of our church”, he said. "And at first, I was okay with it. After all, I liked their logic – that it was ordinary bread, and unleavened, which made it more like what Jesus would’ve used. It wasn’t cut into squares; it was just there and each person tore off a piece.

"Oh, sometimes I missed the little Wonder Bread cubes, and I would ask the pastor if we could go back to that, at least once in a while. But he seemed to think the pita bread was OK.

"Then about a year ago, I came to church and there it was: a whole loaf of bread. Someone in church had baked it - in their own oven - and brought it to church for communion.”

“What a cool idea”, Steve chimed in again.

“It was terrible”, Ben said. “I didn’t like it at all, and besides, every communion service since then, it was a different person bringing in a home-baked loaf of bread. And the problem is – well, first of all, they don’t even use the same recipe. You’d think that at least they’d standardize the process. But even worse, it’s still not cut up. You have to tear a piece of bread right off the loaf... very unsanitary. The pastor says that the single loaf represents the unity of the Body of believers, but I don’t buy that. I think it’s about trying to market our church to the yuppie types who buy their bread at that little bakery “The Baker’s Wife” down on 3rd street. You know, a mindset of “maybe if the bread we serve in communion tasted more like the bread they buy every day, they’d come to church.”

“Ben”, I said, putting a friendly hand on his shoulder, “I think you might be missing the point of Holy Communion.”

“Rick, you haven’t been living through this like I have”, he shot back. “Look, I’m sorry if my tone is a little bit defensive, but … well, take last week, for example. When I received communion, I had a distinct impression that the loaf was left in the oven a little long. A definite burnt taste.”

“Listen”, said Cheryl, who up ‘til now had been conspicuously silent. “If taste is the issue, why don’t you come visit our church? We brought on a new staff member about four months ago. His job title is Director of Bakery Ministries. The communion bread is different every week, but always fantastic. People who haven’t been happy in their old churches are filling the pews and they say they are getting so much out of the communion bread. Last week we had Honey Wheat; the week before, it was a Rye; we had dill bread once, and I hear they’ll be doing cinnamon rolls next week”.

Ben slammed his hand on the table and said “That’s just the kind of thing I DON’T want! Sometimes I wonder if that is even faithfulness to the gospel. Why can’t anyone just give me what I want – little cubes of Wonder Bread?

© 2006 Rick Lindholtz

Spiritual Formation

The Ultra Rev (Hi Stevie Baby!) asks for specifics about Spiritual Formation, or Discipleship. He quotes from Bill Hybels:

"How is Christ deeply formed in a person's life? Do you just pour knowledge into a new Christian and does that make them mature? Do you just have them stay within certain guidelines, do you put down certain expectations, do you say 'If you attend these meetings and give a certain amount of money?' Is it external? Is it internal? Is it a combination of both? How does Christ take up residency and become fully formed in someone's life? We're (Willowcreek) asking those questions these days and the working outline of what we're working on is that there are certain practices, relationships and experiences ... that contribute to Christ being deeply formed in someone's life."

Stevie thinks that's a great working outline, but asks "What are those certain practices, relationships and experiences?".



Practices - makes me nervous because it smacks of legalism. If we were talking about salvation instead of sanctification, which I *think* is the idea behind being a disciple, I bet we'd spot it as legalism in a flash. But since it's not about salvation we're willing to let it slide - forgetting that Paul asked in Gal 3:3 -

After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to
become perfect by your own human effort?

But I think I know where Bill is headed and I'll get to it in a minute. At any rate I am not persuaded that, as taught by much of the Christianity I was shaped by as I grew, that x minutes a day reading the Bible and x minutes a day in prayer is the quick and simple formula for maturity - though it's not an unhelpful discipline either.

Relationships - I suppose if by this one means relationships of accountability wherein one lives transparently and is allowing other believers to speak truth into their lives, I think that's pretty much on the right track. Maybe it refers to the believer's relationship to Father, Son and Spirit - which provides interesting material for thinking about the believer's way of understanding God. Is God the big hook in the sky that will snag me at my death and take me to Heaven? (And maybe snag me whenever I face difficulty and disappointment in this life? A lot of Christianity, esp. of the American variety, thinks this). Or is God three persons with whom I have a relationship, and if so, how do I relate to each of them?

Experiences - Again I am not sure it's the right word. Fellow believers of a pentecostal variety definitely think an experience will suddenly confer maturity. I disagree with them.

"practices, relationships, and experiences". That's not bad. What about adding faith commitments and values?

Faith Commitments and Values suggest that there are things that are increasingly becoming important in my life because of what I believe and what I value. And maybe for example that's why certain practices, relationships and experiences have a place in my life - not because they, ex opere operato, have specific worth in producing spiritual maturity, but almost the opposite. Through them I experience maturity because certain commitments and values drive them.

What are the commitments and values? Off the top of my head: Conformity to the character of Jesus. Community with other believers. Worship. A Transparent life before fellow believers. Yieldedness to the Spirit of God.

Just some thoughts early on a Christmas afternoon.

An affirmation of faith for the New Year

Father God, as we enter this new year,
May it be a year in which You are near to us in every moment.
For we believe in You, Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth.

Lord Jesus, stay by our side day by day.
We place our faith in You,
the one who is both God and man.
From your birth of a virgin in Bethlehem
to your ministry of healing and of grace,
From Your self-giving death on the cross for us
to Your powerful resurrection and ascension,
We declare that You are Lord,
and we believe in the truth of Your Word.

Holy Spirit, come to us this year
in a thousand different ways.
With Your gentle direction,
Your quiet voice,
and Your wise instruction,
guide us to Jesus and His Word.

Almighty God – Father, Son, and Spirit –
You have gone before us into the new year,
and You call us to join you.
We come in confidence and joy,
loving and trusting You. Amen.

© Rick Lindholtz 2006

Rocky Balboa - the latest Christian film?

I completely missed any sense of the final Rocky movie being a testament to Sly's Christian faith, but that appears to be the message of this interview. There are some pretty direct expressions of faith in this interview. I try to quiet the cynic in me that wonders if it's all about marketing to tap into passion dollars. But take a look at the interview and the link contained in it - "Rocky Resources".

Quote from Sly:

"I think as a young person you tend to think that the world somewhat revolves around you, that you can recover from anything, that you tend to have this kind of vim and vigor and energy to take on the world on your own shoulders. Well, after you've been knocked down a few times and the world has shown you it's dark side, you realize that you need guidance, you need God's word, you need spiritual help and that's when your journey will begin.

"So I, as I get older, I realize how - very much - I rely upon Jesus, the word of God, and his support and how I pass it on to my children because I want them to learn at an early age by - usually find out that we have to sometimes learn the hard way and then it really takes hold and that's what this is all about. "

Prepare a Highway

Here's the audio of the song I wrote for Advent, based on Isaiah 40:1-8 - as taken from our worship service last Sunday.