Save

"Lord, save us!" (Matthew 8:25).

I get weirded out when a well-intended brother asks, "Are you saved?" That question may have been understood in Mayberry, but it has well-worked its way out of the American vernacular by now. So far removed is Main Street, USA from the mainline church that I question whether or not we even know how to communicate to those across the widening gap that exists between the church and the "un". Some, however, are quite happy for the existance of that colossal cavern (on both sides).

I am not.

I fear living in a world where people have rejected God, but I also fear being part of a church that has rejected men.

I sometimes question whether or not it is the church that has lost its way. I know this counters our belief that it is the world that is "lost", and many of us would agree that things "out there" aren't what they should be. To be honest with you, I feel the same about the gathered saints at times. Our doctrines and dogmas and practices and comfort too often over-ride love and service and hospitality and peace. We wage war on each other, striking one another as if the battle was all about "flesh and blood".

Perhaps we all need "saved". As much as we would like to blame it on everyone else, our dwindling numbers probably have more to do with ourselves that they do with outside influences or dualism or effective cultural propoganda. I think if the church is to find its way again, it must be the Way of Christ. I don't very often feel that his ways are our ways, and I am not so convinced that we are walking in the Spirit of Christ. We may stand our ground, recite our verses, and present well-modulated arguments but it is easy to detect when the Essential Christ is absent.

We must return to Christ before we can expect anyone else to want to join us on The Way. It is difficult to convince others to join us on a journey that we ourselves are not taking.

I see a brilliant comparison between the story of Jesus calming the storm in Matthew 8 and the current state of affairs in a church that is caught up in cultural warfare. I sometimes feel as though we are being thrashed about on a self-imposed storm, and I refuse to get swallowed up in it. I will not disregard Scripture, and at the same time I will reject any notion that we should reject men. I don't see Christ in either way.

Lord, save us.

I hold on to faith, trusting the written words as well as the whispered word, and I trust that Jesus will have his way with us all.