September 2007

Dear friends,
     Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
     Let me ask you...when you think of Lincoln Chapel, do you think of just another organization to belong to, or do you think of your church in a different way?
     As we watch the trends in our country, we see that church involvement is decreasing drastically.  Occasionally there seems to be an upswing, and we rejoice when we hear it.  That's usually when the church growth experts come out with their latest prescriptions.  But as soon as those methods become popular, the downward spiral has already begun again.
     In a culture that tells us we can "have it our way" and "do whatever we want to do", being connected - and staying connected - can be extremely challenging.  I can get everything today just the way I want it - from hamburgers to new cars.  Our culture is thriving on individualistic consumerism.  What's next?
     Some say independent churches are the way to go.  No authority, no connections, just complete autonomy.  People can make their own decisions on what they believe - and how they live their beliefs - without any interference from others.  It sounds enticing.  But if we take God's Word seriously, we see that He has something to say about being connected as Christians.
     I invite you to read 1 Corinthians 12:14-27.  In this part of the Bible, we learn that God's intent for His people is to be fully connected.  In fact, God's plan for believers is that they would never be alone, never be cut off, and never be asked to live apart from the living Body of Christ.
     So if we are serious about our church, we find that it's more than just another organization to which we belong.  It's more than a building we come to in order to sing familiar songs once a week.  It's even more than 150+ years of heritage and history which have defined our current ministry.
     The Bible tells us that our church is where we use and celebrate our unique gifts of God's people for the building and strengthening of the living Body of Christ.  Each part - meaning, every member - is a vital part of the body.  St. Paul uses physiological language to illustrate his point:  There are many different parts in a human body, and the same is true for the church.  We must trust that just as surely as God created our human bodies, so He created the Body of Christ which we call Lincoln Chapel.
     But this concept of the church being a body is not the end of the spiritual journey.  If we look at St. Paul's words in their original context, we see that there is a greater purpose for our being connected as the Body of Christ.
     Before his discussion on the body of believers, St. Paul refers to the varied spiritual gifts of the many individuals within the church.  In fact, we see many of those gifts at Lincoln Chapel today - gifts of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, discernment, even miracles.  It seems as if God has given us these gifts to build up the Body of Christ, in just the same way these gifts were imparted long ago to the early Church.  So we have that spiritual foundation prepared for us, which not even the pain of division can take away from us.
     That spiritual foundation is there for a reason - for us to become, and grow together, as one Body.  Once we become "one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry" - historic words taken from our Communion liturgy - we then must go on.  It seems as if uniting together is an end in itself, but God has another plan.  1 Corinthians 12 (spiritual gifts are the foundation of the united Body of Christ) leads to 1 Corinthians 13 (Love).
     We are united in Christ not just for service; not just for effective ministry; not just for the sake of being one.  We are united in Christ so that we may LOVE.  And once love is our motivation, we find that nothing can divide us.  Remember St. Paul's words about love?  Love is patient and kind.  It is not envious, boastful, or rude.  It does not insist on its own way.  It is not irritable or resentful...it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends.  (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
     Do you see the progression?  God supplies us with a foundation of spiritual gifts.  we have them here!  Think of the wisdom and faith, the miracles!  We put those gifts to use by living them out.  And once completely alive - and completely connected - we go forth to love.
     And for me, that's what being a church is all about.
     Oh yes, I really enjoy the studies and the worship.  I've gained a lot of weight at all the dinners we've shared!  I think we have an honorable heritage.  And I always have fun when we work together.  But church is more than that.
     It's about working and learning and developing into who God wants us to be - individually and together.  It's about using the unique gifts God has blessed us with to form strong spiritual bonds.  It's about knowing that we are connected to one another through more than shared interests or even shared beliefs.  It's about being completely united so that we may love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  And it's about radically loving others too.  Loving them unconditionally, as our Heavenly Father loves us.
     I believe that God is calling us to be the living Body of Christ.  But none of us can do this by ourselves.  We need each other.  The foundation is there.
     Let's go - and grow - together.
    
Pastor Jon West