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Re-Opening Your Church: What Will Be Left and Who Will Still Come?

by Carey Nieuwhof
written by Carey Nieuwhof

As churches slowly reopen their physical doors, church leaders are all asking the same question: who will still be around?

It’s a great question.

And not an easy one to answer. A lot of church leaders are nervous, uncertain and longing to get things back to something certain.

With several months of online-only church, it can be hard to know how many new people have come on board, who’s still engaged, who’s left, and who may be drifting.

And even as buildings re-open, it’s hard to get a gauge because of social distancing, limited capacity and, in almost all cases, no kids ministry (leaving families for the most part still at home).

In this post, I’ll take a quick look at the numbers, offer some observations and some strategies that I hope will help your church not just maintain, but advance in the midst of all this uncertainty.

CHURCH GOERS ARE…A LITTLE UNCERTAIN

As a church leader texted me recently, opening is so much harder than closing.

The Barna Group is doing weekly polling that, leading up to Easter, showed 49% and even 59% reported surging online attendance compared to their former in-person attendance.

Since Easter, that’s dropped.

Now, only 25% of churches are reporting an attendance surge above previous levels, and in talking to leaders every week, more are seeing their online numbers drop.

So what about reopening? Who will be streaming back as doors open again?

A recent related poll of thousands of church leaders facilitated by Gloo showed people have little consensus around when they feel ‘safe’ to gather again in public.

Asked which other type of activity BEST signals to you that it is time to open in-person worship at the church, the most common answer was a low community level of COVID cases (21.5%)

Other responses included when

  • Social distancing and stay home guidelines are lifted: 17%
  • Local businesses are open: 14%
  • Local restaurant seating areas are open 8%
  • Testing is widely available and utilized 6%
  • Schools are open 4%
  • Vaccine available 3%

But the following results also speak volumes:

  • 15% said they would only return when all the conditions are met (low cases, business open, restrictions lifted, vaccine available).
  • 10% admitted they just weren’t sure.

Essentially, 25% either aren’t sure or aren’t coming back for a long time.

An additional 30% of respondents said they’d rather worship at home and only return when they can be mask-free at church.

I know, that’s not encouraging, but it’s both real and understandable.

If you’d like to poll your congregations on these questions (for free) and even add a few questions of your own, you can do that here.

So how do you put this all into perspective?

Here are four thoughts that I hope can help guide you as you make some very pivotal decisions.

After all, re-opening your church is so much more complex than closing it ever was.

1. BECOME A LOT MORE AGILE: NORMAL ISN’T COMING BACK ANY TIME SOON

Church leaders who are waiting for things to get back to normal will be waiting a long time.

It’s hard to go back to normal when normal disappeared.

So much has changed, not just in terms of what’s legally allowed (or morally responsible) but, as the poll results suggest,  in terms of how people think.

And to make it more personal, consider how you think.

For example, even if you could, do you really want to get into a crowded restaurant right now? Would you want general admission floor tickets to hear your favorite band so you could crush in with everyone else?

Probably not. At least I wouldn’t.

The psychology of human behavior has an entirely new dynamic that leaders will have to deal with.

Before you over-spiritualize it, it’s not a question of faith over fear. It’s a sign that this is a deeply confusing, changing time.

People need to be led and cared for, they just need to be led and cared for differently.

Instead, pivot into a new normal.

Don’t be so focused on getting back to “normal” that you step back into the past when you step back into your facility.

To do that, you’ll have to become far more agile in the future than you have been in the past.

In a culture of constant change and uncertainty, agility is ability, and flexibility is a superpower.

If you’re curious as to how well-positioned you are to thrive in the new normal, I have a new, short Agility Quiz that can help you assess whether you’re likely to survive, thrive or struggle in the new normal.

It’s just 14 question and results will be sent to you immediately. Here’s the link.

The bottom line is this: the more agile you are heading into the future, the better you’ll be able to realize (and even advance) your mission.

2. REMEMBER THAT YOU’VE ALREADY REACHED NEW PEOPLE

The last few months haven’t been all loss. In fact, for many churches, that’s hardly the case.

You’ve likely reached new people online, including many you haven’t yet met.

The challenge with ministry online is a little like the challenge with new people who attend your church. It can be hard to get to know them.

Even with physical attendance, countless churches have new people who attend, sit in the back row and don’t connect with anyone.

Online just amplifies that, which is good and bad. You’re reaching new people…you just don’t know who.

The key is to move toward engagement, encouraging online attenders to:

  • Fill out an online welcome card or text their info in
  • Like, comment or follow so you can connect more personally
  • Take a step into an orientation group, small group or some kind of movement beyond attending service
  • Join your email list

Engagement is a sign of openness and a desire to connect.

Just because you can’t see an online attender doesn’t mean they aren’t real. So don’t give up on the progress you’ve made.

3. REALIZE SOME ONLINE ATTENDERS WILL STAY ONLINE FOR A LONG TIME (AND THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH COVID)

As we’ve already seen, even as your buildings reopen, not everyone will rush into church. Some of that is COVID related, but it’s actually much deeper than that.

For years now, the trend has been for new people to watch online for weeks, months or even a year before they venture into a church’s physical building.

That trend will not only continue, it will accelerate.

Digital is the new default for our culture, and the current crisis only accelerated that.

Church leaders who take all the resources they have been spending and investing in online church and move them back into physical ministry locations risk losing any online traction they’ve picked up as well as the audience that’s still watching.

In the future, churches that have the largest impact will think of themselves as digital organizations with physical expressions rather than physical organizations with digital presences.

So don’t let your foot off the digital pedal.

4. RESIST THE URGE TO MAKE ONLINE ATTENDERS OR NON-ATTENDERS SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS

The church has enough dividing lines and judgmentalism already. We don’t need any more, and we should actively eliminate what we have.

But it’s not that hard to imagine that both church leaders and church members would start to divide themselves into two categories

The truly faithful, risk-taking, trusting, in-person attenders who are loyal and deeply Christian

Everybody else

That’s not just sinful, it’s stupid (as well as unstrategic).

Church leaders, if you stand there with a scowl on your face every Sunday angry about empty seats, why would anyone want to sit in one?

When you devalue people—curious people, frightened people, anxious people, cautious people, new people, hurt people—you sabotage the very mission you’re trying to accomplish.

People can smell judgment a mile away. So, church leaders, stop judging.

This is a very critical moment for the church moving forward.

Church leaders who embrace infrequent attenders, online attenders and non-attenders will eventually have more attenders.

Those who don’t, won’t.

5. BE LESS CONTROLLING: BEING CONTROLLING AND BEING EFFECTIVE ARE USUALLY MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE

I know this sounds axiomatic, but the truth is God is still in control.

Every leader is struggling with a loss of control. I am.

The truth is you can’t control:

  • The economy
  • Whether people return to church
  • When people return to church
  • Your numbers
  • Human behaviour
  • The future

And that’s massively frightening for a lot of leaders.

You had a system that worked…and now, it’s gone.

But that’s okay. God is still in control. You aren’t. You never were.

So what do you do?

For starters, focus on what you can control, not on what you can’t.

You and I can’t manipulate events or people, but you can respond to what’s happening and try to help people in the midst of it.

Second, look for the opportunity instead of the obstacle. My favorite question to ask during the crisis is the simple question “What does this make possible?”

The church has always been at its best when it’s under pressure.

It’s one thing to preach that God is doing a new thing. It’s another thing to embrace it.

I imagine that God is reforming and reshaping the church for the future. You resist that, or you can embrace it.

Here’s a principle I’m reminding myself of these days: Being highly controlling and highly effective are mutually exclusive.

In your desire to control things and get back to ‘normal,’ are you squeezing out new things God may want to do in you and through you?

I don’t know the answer to that question, but I sense the question is important. I’m asking it personally.

www.careynieuwhof.com.

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Beware the Church Mafia: 4 Ruling Families

by Jon Acuff
written by Jon Acuff

I want to go out on a limb, I want to expose the secret society that has long held sway over churches around the world. I want to talk about the Church Mafia.

The Church Mafia is a loosely constructed, by tightly wound, syndicate of four ruling families. Modeled after the Italian Mob of the early 1920s, they are the ones pushing and pulling for political power within the church. They control everything from the quality of cookie you get at Vacation Bible School to which people get elected to the Pastor Search Committee. Even mentioning they exist could get me black listed from the sarcastic writers religious speaking tour. But it’s a risk I am willing to take. I am sure I will remix this post later, possibly covering each family individually, but here they are at a high level:

1. The Elderati
Background:
Although they would never admit this, the Elderati is the strongest of the ruling families. Their influence is not often direct and visible, but is instead quietly woven into almost every decision the church makes. Once you make it into the Elderati, you can never really leave. For although your official “term” might end after a year or two, you will constantly be called into conversations and decisions long after you actually attend an Elder’s meeting. It’s rumored that they all have a small letter “E” tattooed on their ankle. But since members of the Elderati never wear shorts, it’s impossible to prove.
Also known as: “The only people the pastor fears.”
Nemesis: The Deaconistas
Signature sentence: “Have you cleared that with the Elders?”

2. The People from the Old Country
Background:
This group of people has always been with the church. You know this because they will regularly tell you, “I’ve been coming here for 42 years and I’ve never seen anything like that.” Even if your church is only 38 years old, it doesn’t matter. They probably came to the field where they predicted the church would be planted and sat in the grass in the spot where their favorite seat would one day be. Their faith may be well seasoned, but if you do something offensive to them, like accidentally park in their spot or try to add a praise song to your hymns, they will cut you.
Also known as: “The OGs” or “Original Gangsters”
Nemesis: The Changeleones
Signature sentence: “We’ve always done it this way.”

3. The Changeleones
Background:
The Changeleones are dedicated to changing things at church. The particular thing doesn’t matter, they simply want to do something different. They are constantly suggesting a change in direction, a shift in mission, a new vision statement, anything that will help the church “reach more young families” or “connect us with this generation.” They are often big on words and small on action, suggesting radical changes and then fading back into the shadows to let other people actually do the work.
Also known as: “The Fadorinis” for their uncanny ability to jump on the latest and greatest fads.
Nemesis: The People from the Old Country
Signature sentence: “We gotta shake things up around here.”

4. The Old Minister Mob
Background:
Occasionally, for a variety of reasons, a minister will leave a church. And when he or she does, the Old Minister Mob springs into action. They will regale you with tales about how amazing the old minister was, creating lavish examples of his awesomeness. “The music was just better with the old music minister. He did something with the piano and triangle that few people can. I’m not getting fed the same way with this new Family Life minister. We should bring the old minister back to speak sometime.” They will mount a verbal campaign of grouch and forget all the things they didn’t like about the old minister when he was here. They often suffer from a weird mix of “ex-girlfriend syndrome” and “small Goditis.” They look back on the old minister with rose colored glasses and doubt that God is big enough to use the new minister to whatever purpose He ultimately has in mind. Deep down, they are a good hearted family, but if they channeled the time and energy they spent grumbling, they would have a ridiculously cool impact on the church.
Also known as: “The Grumpilucas”
Nemesis: Any new minister.
Signature sentence: “I fully support the new minister but … .”

It should be noted that the families are not bound by age requirements. Sometimes you’ll find someone from the Old Country family that’s 15 and a Changeleone that’s 82. And it’s possible to have a great Elder. But all of that is starting to change. There is a new family on the scene that is starting to shake things up. A new group spilling into the church that is threatening everything the ruling families hold dear. I am of course talking about the Young Bloods.

The Young Bloods are a new generation of Christian. Whether they just came to faith recently or are having a quiet faith renewed in a loud way doesn’t matter, the results are the same. They are exploding from the inside out. They are walking into churches and coffee houses and colleges across the world and they are changing the face of faith as we know it. They don’t play by the Mafia rules, they live by grace. They don’t get caught up in the politics, they’re too caught up in the passion of God to notice they’re even there. Their faith is messy and fresh and not restricted by a desire to do things differently or do things the same way they’ve always been done. They’re not mounting a revolution, they’re giving in to a surrender. They’re rolling up their sleeves and sharing scars and stories and the overflow of a love that is too big to contain or hoard in one person. And if enough ever get together, if the Young Bloods keep coming, the Church Mafia will never be the same.

www.stuffchristianslike.net

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Ask Roger

How Do I Share Christ Without Harrassing Someone About Religion?

by Roger Barrier
written by Roger Barrier

Hi Roger,

 

How can I impact someone else’s life without harassing them with religion?

I have many friends that don’t believe in God and many of them find it ridiculous. They know that I am a Christian, and I want to help them since I noticed that most of them are missing the joy of having Jesus Christ in their life.

 

As a teenager, in a school where religion does not matter, it is somewhat of a difficulty for me to talk to my fellow peers about the wonders of God.

 

I know most of them are going through situations that are difficult to surpass without God’s help and presence. I want to help them and show them God’s glory, but I don’t know how to since they don’t like to talk openly about God or anything. I want to know how I can show them God’s will for their lives without irritating them about what their religious views should be.

 

Sincerely,Rebeca

 

Dear Rebeca

I am thrilled with your passion for your friends to know Christ. Jesus’ parting instructions to us as He ascended to heaven were, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

May God bless you greatly as you fulfill His wishes.

 

FIRST, RELATIONSHIPS OPEN THE DOOR TO SHARING THE GOSPEL. THE DEEPER THE RELATIONSHIP, THE DEEPER THE SHARING.

 

You mention that they “don’t want to talk about these things.” We know that relationships open the door to sharing. The more time you invest getting to know them, the more likely they are to open up, listen to your ideas and give credence to what you say.

 

Building relationships takes time and energy. We cannot sit in the comfortable pews of our church and shoot “gospel bullets” over the walls and expect our friends out there to come to Christ. Jesus ate with tax collectors, sinners, prostitutes and social outcasts. Of course, one meeting was all it took for them to build a relationship with Jesus. With the rest of us, it will usually take a little longer.

 

SECOND, MINISTERING TO PEOPLE’S HURTS OFTEN OPENS THE DOOR FOR THE GOSPEL TO GO THROUGH.

 

Alexander McLaren used to say, “Be kind to everyone you meet because everyone you meet is fighting a battle.”

 

I use an evangelism model, based on healing hurts, which works as well with brand-new acquaintances as it does with folks I’ve known for years.

 

My model is based on Romans 12:15: “Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.”

 

So, I meet someone, and after chatting for a short time, I’ll grin and ask them,” What is the best day you ever had?”

 

People never hesitate to tell me. I rejoice with them. I reflect back how wonderful that day must have been. I get excited about their experience. This is rejoicing with those who rejoice.

 

After a while I’ll I ask, “What was the worst day you ever had?” The better I know a person the more likely he or she is to answer. I mourn with them. I say things like, “I am so sorry. How did you feel as you were going through that difficult experience? What an awful time for you. I am so sad you had to experience that. Did you have people around the support you; or did you handle things alone? I’m so sorry that you were hurt so deeply.

 

This is called comforting. Jesus says in Matthew 5:4: “Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted.”

 

At this point, I let him or her know that I understand their pain by sharing something like this, “I’ve been through some difficult times, too; and one of the things that helped me was when Jesus Christ gave me the grace and strength to handle it.”

 

Then, I share one of my hurts and relate how Jesus helped me.

 

The door is now open. People may criticize the Bible, point at the hypocrites or believe that Jesus was a myth. However, the one thing they cannot reject is your experience with Jesus.

 

Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-8) was a hated, crooked tax collector for the Roman government. He used his position to line his own pockets. He was a traitor to his neighbors and they hated him for it. He was a wicked, lying, stealing, cheating, selfish man.

 

Could you imagine that a man like Zacchaeus might have some feelings? Certainly! Just for starters you know that he was feeling lonely, rejected, despised, hated and guilty.

 

Could you imagine that a tax collector behaving like he was and feeling like he did, might have some needs? Certainly! Like all of us, he needed love, acceptance, companionship, forgiveness and affirmation.

 

When Jesus arrived in town He walked immediately to Zacchaeus’ tree and called out, “You sneaky, thieving, selfish little man! Stop it!”

No, that’s not what He said. Only a beginner starts like that. Christ gently said, “Zacchaeus, come down. I’m going to lunch with you today.”

Good things happened during lunch. Jesus ministered to his needs and comforted his hurts Three hours later the front door flew open and Zacchaeus shouted: “Half of all I have I give to the poor; and whatever I have stolen from any of you I will restore four times over!” Jesus declared, “Today, salvation has come to your house!”

 

Zacchaeus found faith in Christ—not because Jesus yelled, “Stop it,” but because Jesus took the time to build a relationship and then ministered to his deepest needs and hurts.

 

This model makes things so naturally an easy.

 

I met a golfer on the first tee on the golf course. We introduced ourselves and begin sharing a little as we walked together down the first fairway.

 

On the fourth tee I casually asked him, “What was the best day of your life?”

 

He replied, “I guess it was the day my son was born. We had anticipated with growing delight his arrival. It was such an exciting time. I guess that was the best day of my life.”

 

So I rejoiced with him about how good it is to have a baby, and to watch all our dreams come true, and to hold a little child that we had made.

 

Walking down the sixth fairway I asked him what was the worst day in his life?

He replied, “Well, I guess it was the day my son was born. My wife wanted to have a natural childbirth so we hired a midwife to help us. Unfortunately, there were problems and his legs were injured and not repairable. It might have been different had we been in the hospital.”

 

I really touched a nerve. He was tearing up He was mourning. I know what to do when I see mourning, I comfort it. We walked into the trees off the left side of the fairway. I comforted through the emotions and feelings that I knew he had. We talked about grief and anger and depression as a number of groups played on through us.

 

Finally, it was my turn. “Our first baby died in our arms, “I said. “We went through all the sorrow and grief and loss and depression. We had a number of folks for support. Nevertheless, the greatest help we received came from our faith in the strength and grace of Jesus Christ. May I share with you what a difference He’s made in our lives?

 

The opportunity was there. The door was open and the gospel walked right in.

 

THIRD, WHILE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING TAKES TIME, TIME IS NOT ALWAYS ESSENTIAL.

 

As I approached my gate at LAX I noticed a woman quietly crying. Several minutes later, I could stand it no longer, I sat down beside her and asked, “I’m so sorry you’re hurting; can I help you?

 

She was a Las Vegas showgirl who had just missed her flight to Mexico where she had a job as a cruise ship dancer. No later flights existed that could get her there before sailing. She didn’t know what to do next.

 

So, I told her how sorry I was for her loss and I told her how Jesus helped a woman caught in adultery pick up the pieces of her life and start over.

 

“Jesus helped her, and he can surely help you. Would you like to hear how Jesus helps people like you and me through every difficulty in life?

 

I must admit that I was quite surprised when she answered, “Yes”. So I shared the gospel and she prayed to receive Christ as her Lord and Savior. I gave her my pocket New Testament. I wrote down a reading list beginning with the gospel of John.

 

FOURTH, WE MUST BE PREPARED AT A MOMENT’S NOTICE TO SHARE OUR FAITH.

 

Paul advised his friend, Timothy, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season. Always be ready to give testimony to the hope that lives within you” (2 Timothy 4:2).

 

Fifth, We No Longer Live In A “Churched” Society. We Live In A “Post-Christian” Age. It Makes A Difference.

 

Once upon a time the Bible was entrenched in the fabric of our culture. You could start with the Bible and show people how they were sinful and needed a Savior–right out of the pages of Scripture.

 

Today, instead of beginning with biblical teachings regarding Christ and salvation, we must first deal with questions concerning atheism, agnosticism, suffering, God’s existence, evolution or comparative religions—among a myriad of other questionings. These are chasms which must first be traversed before we can even get to the truths of the Bible.

 

Learn about these hurdles so that you can answer their questions with at least some degree of understanding. But, remember, you don’t have to have all the answers. Your personal story of what Christ has done in your life is the most compelling truth you can share.

 

FINALLY, FOLLOW THE PROMPTINGS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

 

Opportunities to share the gospel may seem few and far between with your friends right now; nevertheless, when the Holy Spirit prompts you to speak, don’t flinch.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to let you know when it’s time to speak and when it’s time to be quiet.

 

Remember, we cannot convince our friends of their need for a personal relationship with Jesus without working closely with the Holy Spirit.

 

Convicting our friends of their sin and subsequent need for a Savior is never our job. Convicting of sin is always the job of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11).

 

What we can do is explain the benefits we have in Christ, and perhaps answer their questions, and perhaps share our own faith in Christ—and why we believe. Then, pray for the Holy Spirit to break down the unbelief in their hearts by convicting them of the beauty and reality of Christ.

 

I hope this helps. God bless you, Rebeca, as you love your friends and find open doors deep into their hearts.

 

 

Love, Roger

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Vampirism? Here’s the Real “True Blood”

by Leonard Sweet
written by Leonard Sweet

The most famous journalist saying of all time is arguably “if it bleeds, it leads.”

Rolling Stone magazine decided to take that adage literally. The 18 August 2010 cover of Rolling Stone magazine featured a bloody mess and it was a huge hit, creating a big stir, selling lots of copies. Wearing nothing but dripping, smeared, puddling blood, the three young stars of “True Blood” posed in way meant to sell magazines rather than report on the series. “True Blood” is an American television drama series. It premiered on HBO exactly two years ago, on September 7, 2008.  (please be careful: you must see this magazine cover before mentioning it in the pulpit. Only you know the sensitivities of your people, and while your people will see this magazine cover at the newsstand, they may not want to see it in church. Only you know how best to deal with controversial issues like the growing nudity and violence in our culture)

 

“True Blood” is one of a growing number of vampire soap operas, and there are a bumper crop of these teenage-vampire-love-story shows. Anne Rice sold 80 million copies of her “Vampire Chronicles” to boomers and Gen-Xers in the late 70s, 80s, and 90s. But the last five years have belonged to Stephenie Meyer, whose red-hot “Twilight” series reignited vampire-mania among newer generations, especially those twenty and under. The blood-thirsty, blood-sucking “undead” have become the darlings of young adults everywhere. Vampires aren’t creepy, they’re cool. Or in the bad-is-good language of pop culture, “Vampires Suck” (a current movie playing in cinemas everywhere).

In fact, as mere mortals in all these “love stories” come to believe, vampires are “to die for.”

If teens and twenty-somethings are attracted to these blood-smeared sweethearts, their parents and grandparents are notoriously “hemophobic.” We have a tendency to get weak-kneed and wobbily at the mere mention of blood.

Don’t believe me? Want proof?

Check your hymnbook. When was the last time (or first time?) you sang “There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood” or “Power In The Blood.” Have you ever even heard “Alas and Did My Savior Bleed,” or “Oh, The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power”? Fanny Crosby’s hymn “Redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb” is long forgotten, as is “Nothing but the Blood.” How ironic that the more the most bloody century in history (160 million people died in 20th century wars) was bloodied by a killer blood disease (HIV/AIDS), the more the church became squeamish around blood and even hemophobic. Like the neatly packaged, plastic wrapped meat packets we bring home from the supermarket, any suggestion of sacrificial lifeblood left Christians skittish. Either that or the blood language already had been drained away from the faith. You can even find Bible handbooks and dictionaries with no entry on “blood” in them anywhere (even in the index).

Let’s be real: Vampirism is a religion. It’s a soap opera religion which worships romantic love. It’s a religion that offers salvation and eternal life if only you will sacrifice your all on the altar of romantic love and put your neck on the line. Yes, love hurts. Yes, love sucks. Yes, love causes suffering, pain, agony. But falling head over heels in love with your wounded lover, your addicted abuser (who can’t help himself, after all) is worth the sacrifice.

But wait a minute: It is not just Vampirism that is alive and well.

The ancient religion of Mithraism that competed with Christianity in the first four centuries is also alive and well. The original “blood bath” was a sacred ritual in the Mithras cult, whose elevated god was symbolized by the bull. New initiates into the Mithras cult would stand under the neck of the bull as it was sacrificed. When the animal’s neck was cut, the “new born” member of the cult would be baptized in the lifeblood of the bull as it poured out. In Mithraism, you were washed in the blood of the bull.

Mithraisim is still alive and well . . . on Wall Street. Mithraism revolved around rituals associated with being washed in the blood of bulls. On Wall Street, marketolatry reigns supreme. In this theomarket religion, the Market has become a god. It has all the attributes of a traditional deity. We even refer to it as though it were a living being the Market is “nervous” or “happy” or “skeptical.” It is all-powerful. In ancient times people feared Yahweh’s verdict on what they had done. Nowadays we fear Wall Street’s reaction and what the Market will do next. And when Wall Street went off the wall and collapsed in September 2008, we became penitent and repentant and submissive, and sacrificed everything to feed it what it needed.

Like Vampirists, Mithraists also sacrifice everything on the altar. Except the Mithraic worship is of the bull market. We will give up everything for fortune, for fame, for success. In this consumer culture, where we buy our way into the salvation of brands and experiences, we get drenched in the blood of the bull all the time.

Putting these two bulls of Vampirism and Mithraism into the pen of today’s youth culture together is like putting two bulls into a pen with a cow in heat.

You can’t escape getting washed in the blood of something. The only question is whether that something will be the blood of bulls, the blood of vampires, or the blood of the Lamb.

There is no getting around sacrifice — life feeds on life. Even if you are a vegetarian or a vegan, living things must consume other living things to exist. Whether you’re snapping carrot sticks or crunching down chicken strips, a living thing is feeding you. And blood is the symbol of living things. That is why it is so important to always offer a prayer of thanksgiving before eating, thanking God, the Giver of all life, for the sacrifice of life that sustains your own life.

Whether avoiding blood as in Judaism or swimming in blood as in Mithraism and Vampirism, religious traditions recognize the sacrificial power of blood. Spilling lifeblood sustained and renewed life. If we clean up all the bloodstains that have spattered over Christ’s church, we whitewash the sacrifice, we lose the lifeblood of love that has brought us into being.

Jesus’ words to would-be disciples in today’s gospel text remind us of the true-blood costs of genuine discipleship. There is true love that is worth true blood, that is worth life itself.

Jesus challenges those who would follow him to put faith before family and finances; to put commitment to God before concern for oneself. Jesus called his disciples to be possessed by the Spirit, not possessed by stuff or substances. Jesus warned his disciples that to journey with him meant carrying the bloody cross every step of the way. Jesus revealed to his disciples that they must be willing to give up everything, even life itself, for the sake of loving and following him. To experience eternal life, Jesus said, we must drink his blood (Jn 6:53-54).

A covenant is never “made.” A covenant is always “cut” (Exodus 24:6-8). You should never talk about “making” a covenant in the Hebrew sense of the term. A covenant is always “cut.” There is a “cutting” or a “sacrifice” involved in the making of a covenant. That is why when Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant after his last Passover with the disciples, he said: “This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt 26:28). In the Eucharist, the history of redemption is told in the language of life, the language of Flesh and Blood: “He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood, dwells in me and I in him: (John 6:56).

But the sacrifice has been made once for all (Heb. 10:10). The Lamb was slain. “Lamb” is a symbol of Christ in the Book of Revelation. Christ is called “Lamb” 28 times in the Book of Revelation. In the eternal purpose of God Christ was “the lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8).

A lamb was “cut” in the legal covenants of the Old Testament. The first sacrifice ever offered by a man was a lamb (Gen.4:4). A lamb was used in the Passover (Ex. 12:3). A lamb was used in the daily sacrifice of the tabernacle (Ex. 29:38‑39) and other sacrifices (Num. 28:3, 9, 13).

Christ was called a Lamb in Old Testament prophecy “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter” (Isa. 53:7; cf. Jer. 11:19) – and in the New Testament: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth” (Acts 8:32; Acts 8:35 is where Jesus as the Lamb of God is made explicit). John the Baptist called Jesus a sacrificial Lamb: “Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29); “And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!” (John 1:36).

The slaying of the Lamb of God was once-for-all. Jesus spelled the end of animal sacrifice. Rather than the blood of animals, wine is the “blood of grapes” treaded out (Gen.49:11). The new covenant brings life. The old blood cults took life. The initiates into Mithrism were left with nothing but bloodstains and a steak dinner. All those beautiful, buffed-up “vampire” bodies may be called the “undead.” But they only remain vital by constantly feeding on life.

When Jesus, the Lamb of God, offered himself as the final and complete sacrifice for the sins of the world, his gift to us was eternal life. Jesus banished the need for blood-letting by breaking the power of death. The gift on the other side of the cross is eternal life. Eternal life does not feed off lifeblood. Eternal life lives on the love of God.

Through Christ, the new lifeblood of all his disciples IS love.

So what will it be?

Will you be washed in the blood of bulls?
Will you be washed in the blood of vampires?
Or will you be washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Only the blood of the Lamb is true blood.

[A great way to end your sermon would be to suddenly line out the song “What can wash away my sins?” You can trust the people to respond by singing “Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” Then you line out again “What can make me whole again?” Again, you can trust the people to respond by signing “Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” Then sing together

Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my cleansing this I see‑‑
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
For my pardon this my plea‑‑
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Nothing can my sin erase
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Naught of works, ’tis all of grace‑‑
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

This is all my hope and peace‑‑
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
This is all my righteousness‑‑
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Leonard Sweet Commentary, Leonard Sweet, ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., 2010. Visit www.sermons.com

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Articles

The Passionate Christian Leader

by Tom Lutz
written by Tom Lutz

The Christian leader that builds his role on Christ-centered bedrock is blessed with a sound foundation for setting priorities and is more faithfully followed because those he leads know the basis for his direction. There are certain non-negotiables for setting appropriate priorities:

Identify and clearly state the fundamental beliefs that you won’t compromise. Determine and clearly state your top allegiances. Who will you be able to go to for counsel when your emotions and personal interests get in the way of setting sound priorities? What do you do to refresh your non-negotiables each morning? How do your non-negotiables mesh with the professional responsibilities you have?

Jonathan Edwards, the fiery evangelist, was an example of a Christian leader who was passionate and focused. Here are some of his resolutions.

Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live. Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die. Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.

 

 

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Ask Roger

Why Is The Thanksgiving Holiday So Important?

by Roger Barrier
written by Roger Barrier

This is usually an “Ask Roger” question. But this time, I have a question, and I am going to ask my resident Thanksgiving expert, Tom Terry.

Dear Tom,

What is the significance of the Thanksgiving holiday, both politically and spiritually?

Dear Roger,

More than any other, Thanksgiving embodies both religious and political freedoms, and puts them in their proper place.

Of the numerous holidays Americans celebrate each year, Thanksgiving is uniquely American, and uniquely Christian.

In the early 1600s a small group of devoutly religious men and women sought to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience. These Pilgrims broke from the Anglican church and were persecuted from England to Holland until they boarded the Mayflower and set sail for the New World. The Pilgrims were separatists, seeking to restore the true nature of the Gospel to Christian practices from what they believed were the pollutants of Catholicism and the Anglican Church.

Upon arrival, before disembarking their vessel they signed an agreement known as the Mayflower Compact. The text of the agreement included a vision for a new government:

Solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politick, for our better ordering and preservation, and furthering of the ends foresaid: and by virtue to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices, from time to time as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony; unto which we all promise all due submission and obedience.

It was this band of Pilgrims, after having lost half their population to an extreme winter, that stuck to the vision laid out in the Mayflower Compact. They were thankful for more than surviving harsh weather, they were also thankful that God has preserved their society and would see it to its conclusion.

Most interesting about the Mayflower Pilgrims is what they did considering who they were. Essentially, they were normal men and women, devoutly religious, who wanted more than to escape the religious pollutions from the home they left. They wanted to build a new society with a new government founded upon the principles they held dear. Their principles were uniquely Christian, and planted the seeds of what would eventually become American liberties.

The Mayflower Compact stated its purpose for the new colony’s existence: The “advancement of the Christian faith” and formation of a “civil body politick.” If the Compact made anything clear, it was that the new government of the colony proceeded from the religious convictions of the colonists—religious freedom giving birth to political freedom.

In the 21st century we tend to turn things around. We view religious freedom as a guarantee of the State instead of a transformation of the heart. Even under the former regime of the Soviet Union, effective missionary work was viewed as a limited possibility as long as the communist remained in power. When the Iron Curtain fell, American missionary activity in the former Evil Empire surged. Yet American Christians working in Russia discovered that the Russian Church was alive and well. Likewise, American churches have discovered that in communist China a revival is taking place that will surely transform millions in that country. And many of those who have been transformed by their freedom in Christ have turned to political activism to try and free the nation further from the grip of communism.

The Mayflower Pilgrims did not develop their convictions about religion, society, or government after they came to the New World. They had those convictions under the heavy hand of religious persecution in their native land. When they came to the New World they could have refused self-government. Instead they established their society for their own preservation. That government and the ones that followed were built squarely upon the foundation laid in their shared faith convictions. Those that would follow in the wake of the Mayflower and the footsteps of William Bradford and the colony he led, would enact laws and draft constitutions guided by many of those same principles Those early founding documents include, The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, and The Massachusetts Body of Liberties. Most of the first State Constitutions contained language that placed the burden for the survival of America upon the backs of those who lived according to the principles set down in the Bible.

Our concept of liberty has chanced in the last three centuries. What we think of as liberty today is anathema to the colonists of the Mayflower. Their reasons for declaring a day of Thanksgiving were quite different than the reasons most Americans celebrate the holiday today.

Let us reclaim the holiday’s original meaning. On Thanksgiving take time to read the account that William Bradford wrote of the Plymouth Plantation. For each day after we should let the principles of those first Americans guide our ideas of religious and political freedom.

 

Love, Tom

 

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