October 2

Day 202: Renew the Covenant

I grew up in the 70's, the decade that changed the Church in North America. It wasn't a some liberal departure from Biblical theology, but clearly a departure from previously accepted norms and expectations.

It was in the 70's that churches first started hiring "youth pastors." Theirs was to bring the fun (previously unheard of) as parcel to making disciples of Jesus. My father tells me that, previous to this 70's phenomenon, youth ministry was absent of fun.

I remember in junior high when my home church announced that we could now wear jeans. To the Sunday evening service. This coincided with the school district's new mandate that girls could now wear pants to school. (I know, I sound like a dinosaur. Because I am.)

My church experience since the 70's has included legalistic churches, a non-Biblical liberal church, a seeker-friendly hip surfer church, a suburban mega church, and since 2005 two church plants (that somehow in God's economy I ended up starting and leading myself.)

Over the decades, church gatherings have become more comfortable and relaxed. Attendance continues to be noted, but no one is told "get yourself back to church, you slacker!" any more. That wouldn't be nice. Or comfortable. Or relaxed.

My outlook on Sunday mornings is affected by my church involvement over the decades. I confess to having a too loose view of Sunday morning worship gatherings. While I spend a good portion of my workweek getting ready for Sundays, I am also too quick to say that our GC's (Gospel Communities) are more important.

I've even heard myself say, "If you have to choose one over the other, choose the GC." Problem with that is, it exposes a poor theology on my part. And I've led others, perhaps even you, to think the same thing.

I love our GC's, and why we do it. I want everyone in our church to be in a GC. I still hold to the reality that "making disciples" happens best in committed community, and in dialogical (two-way) conversations. People encouraging each other closer to Jesus. Sunday mornings don't lend well to this.

So in this present age of wanting comfortable and relaxed, with no legalistic expectations and hazy outcomes, how and why do we gather on Sundays?

Most of us would agree that we gather to worship Jesus. We also know that we "are not to neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some." (Hebrews 10:25.) Our present conundrum is "What constitutes meeting together?" Does digital count?

But I wonder if these reasons, these motivations suffice?

Most of the New Testament writers came from an Old Testament world view. They knew their Bible history, because for most of them it was also their ethnic history. Even in the first century Jews, even Christian Jews knew how to be Jews.

For a Jew, assembling together had a primary purpose, going all the way back to Moses. People were called together to renew the covenant. Renew their own reception and participation in God's gracious promises to them.

Worship; gathered, corporate worship is the way we renew the covenant. We do this each week. To sing praises, to pray, to hear God's Word expounded, to share in communion, to serve and to give are all aspects of worship.

To not do so, together with God's people, is to essentially say, "The covenant doesn't matter to me." Or, "God doesn't need to or deserve to hear me renew His covenant with me/us."

We are challenged, you and I, to consider how seriously we will regard and participate in our Sunday worship gatherings going forward. Colder weather and our church's present homelessness will encourage us to stay home. Warm and dry. Offline.

Maybe others of us will want to limit our gatherings to only those people we enjoy being with the most. A social event that can just as easily be accomplished while going out to brunch, or hiking a trail.

But, if we're gathering to renew God's New Covenant, its gracious benefits to us as redeemed children, we will treat this, not as another weekly obligation, but as essential to our faith, our practice, and namely our hope.

-Mike Rydman, Lead Pastor, Radiant Church | Juneau