Читать книгу The Rebirth of the Church - William Powell Tuck - Страница 11

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On Building the Church

The late Wallace Hamilton, who for many years was the pastor of the Community Church in Pasadena, Florida, was arriving late for an annual conference where he was scheduled to preach. As he came up the steps, he saw a group of small boys playing on the front steps of the church. They paused in their playing and were peering into the open windows where the sound of music was coming. As he placed his hand on the church door to open it and go in, one of the young boys turned and said to him: “Hey mister, what’s going on in there?” That question needs to be heard by the Church today. What goes on in here? What goes on in the Church? What really is the Church? What is going on in it?

That is the question people have been asking down through the centuries. What is happening in Church? Some have come back rather quickly and forcefully and answered: “Not much!” The tribe of “nones”- non-attenders- has risen drastically. Some have said the last days of the Church are here. Books and speeches have been written about The Noise of Solemn Assembly, The Empty Pulpit, The Comfortable Pew, The Last Days of the Church, Demise of the Church, The Death of the American Church, and The Dying Church. The Newsweek magazine had a cover several years ago with the inscription: “Forget the Church. Follow Jesus.” Some voices say that the Church is coming close to its demise. Its end is near. But I think Carlyle Marney is correct when he observed that “people say that the Church is always dying, but it never does.” Most of the hammers of criticism that have been beaten against the Church have been worn out eventually on the anvil of the Church itself. The Church continues to endure.

Biblical Images of the Church

When we turn to the New Testament, we find some interesting figures for the Church. Images of all kind abound. The Church is depicted as the Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ, the Household of Faith, the Family of Jehovah, the Seat and Shrine of the Eternal, the New Israel, the New Covenant, the Realm of Redemption, salt, light, leaven, and the vine. But I suppose Paul’s favorite metaphor is the Temple or the building as seen in Ephesians 2: 19-22. Jesus himself said, “I will build my Church.” When congregations have a building in the process of being constructed, they need to remember that the constructed building will house the church. A part of what we must always keep before us and in proper focus is that the building is never the Church. It houses the Church. The building has a function to carry on the ministry of the Church which is being built. We are the building. The Church, when it is properly constructed, is a living structure.

The Foundation of the Church

Paul, in the second chapter of the Letter to the Ephesians, writes about building the Church of Christ. The apostles and the New Testament prophets, which Paul mentions here, are the foundation of the Church. Jesus Christ himself is the chief cornerstone in the foundation. Some scholars believe that the foundation stone in ancient buildings was a huge stone that may have been seven feet in its scope. Others are not convinced that the stone is in its foundation but is instead the gem stone, which is the stone set in the archway of the building. That stone is called the foundation stone and kept the whole structure fitted together so it could not fall apart. Whether the emphasis is on the foundation or on the archway, it is basically the same: Christ is the foundation stone which holds the Church together.

The Basic Stones in the Church’s Foundation

As we reflect on the Church, we need to understand what some of the basic stones are within the church’s foundation. When these stones are incorporated in the foundation, they will enable us to build a structure worthy of being called the Church of Christ. A church building under construction is important, but even more important is the building of the people. We the people constitute the Church, and the building houses the Church, so we can be Christ’s people in the world.

The Foundation of Personal Commitment

Paul wrote about the necessity of the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. You and I are also a part of that kind of foundation. We are a part of the continuing building of the Church by our own sense of commitment as new disciples to the Christ as the early disciples were by their initial commitment to him. One of the cardinal stones in the foundation of the Church is the personal experience of individual people who have committed their lives to Jesus Christ. Our faith is supposed to be very personal, just as the early disciples had a very personal experience with Christ. Now, granted we cannot go back and walk with the living Christ along the shores of Galilee, but Jesus Christ needs to be a real presence for us. Our experience should be so real that we sense the power of his presence that changes and transforms us. Sometimes that is a part of the problem with the Church today. This essential stone in the foundation is often lacking. The Church is not always made up of people who have committed their lives to Christ and have had a genuine personal experience with Christ. Press the pause button on that thought for a moment.

I heard about a young girl who went to visit a relative of hers who lived in the country. One night while she was visiting her aunt she noticed that her aunt was putting cold cream on her face before she went to bed. The small girl turned and asked: “Auntie, what are you doing?” She said, “Why, I’m making myself beautiful.” In a few moments her aunt began to remove the cream. The small girl looked at her aunt and said: “It didn’t work, did it?”

Press the pause button again now. Note, there are some folks who are looking at the Church and saying to it: “It didn’t work, did it?” We claim that we are a people who have experienced the vitality of a living Christ, and they are saying to us: “It didn’t work, did it?” They often do not see evidence of Christ in the lives of those who claim that they belong to the Church. Our relationship to Christ is not by proxy, but it is personal. It is not a second-hand experience but a first-hand one. It is not a hearsay experience but an immediate one. It is not something merely passed on to us by tradition. The Church began with a great claim: “I know whom I have believed” (2Timothy 1:12). In the small Epistle of John, the writer says: “That which we have seen with our eyes, that which we have heard with our ears, that which we have handled with our hands, we declare unto you” (1 John 1:1). It is a very personal experience with a living Christ. Vitality in the Church does not come by proxy, or by someone living on another’s experience. A vital Church is built on individuals who have had their own dynamic relationship with the Lord of the Church.

Pastors and professors are often having tours. So, I thought of a tour group that I could organize. I might call it “Tuck’s Back to God Movement.” We might see if we could go back to places where people say they have experienced God. We could go back and try to find the place where Abraham was willing to go searching for a city that was without foundation. We would see if we could find the place where Jacob experienced the angels ascending and descending a ladder before God. We would see if we could find the remains of the bush that was burning where Moses had an experience with God. We would see if we could discover the ruins of the temple where Isaiah saw God high and lifted up. We would see if we could find the footprints in the sand where the disciples followed Jesus and left their nets and went to become fishers of men. Or we could see if we could find the place on the Damascus Road where Paul had his blinding experience with Christ. We would move on down through history and see if we could find the garden spot where Augustine heard the voice that said, “take up and read,” and he himself was converted. Or we would climb the stairs in Rome where Luther searched to find the Spirit of God. Or we could go to Aldersgate where Wesley’s heart was strangely warmed.

But there are several problems with that kind of a tour. For one thing, you probably cannot find those spots. But the biggest problem with it is that it is always focused in the past. We seem to think that we must go back someplace and find out what God did for somebody back there in the past. But the angel said to those who came to the tomb searching for Jesus, “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, but he is not here, he has gone before you.” Christ is always going before his Church and seeks to draw us into the future. He is not content with what we have been or where we have been. We are built on that foundation, and we are aware that Jesus Christ is indeed the central foundation. Where Christ is, there is his Church. Where Christ is absent, his Church is not there, no matter what kind of building we may have. Churches need to construct a building in which the living Christ is Lord. In fact, a part of what Paul is saying in this passage is that the loving God wants to be in a living temple. Paul changes the metaphor about the stones and pictures the stones as living. The Church is not just brick and mortar, but it is made up of living people.

Robert Raines was putting his young son to bed once when the boy looked up at him and said: “Daddy, tell me again what does Maundy Thursday mean?” In their Church tradition, they were celebrating a special service on the Thursday before Easter. Dr. Raines told him that Maundy Thursday was the night that Jesus had his last meal with his disciples. They ate together, and Jesus talked to them about what that meal symbolized. He left the upper room and later was crucified on Good Friday, and then he was raised from the dead by God. We celebrate Easter because of the great event of the resurrection of Christ. Then the young son looked at his father and asked: “Daddy, will Easter ever happen to me?

Isn’t the Church supposed to be composed of those who claim that we have experienced Easter? We worship a living Christ who is Lord of the Church. A strong sense of a vital, personal experience with Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Church, if it is to be authentic Church.

The Foundation of Worship

You will also notice that Paul writes about the Church being knit together as a holy temple. The Temple is a place where people focus on worship. I frankly do not know how people live who do not worship. I spend a lot of my time dealing with religious matters and reading religious books. But I know that there is an absolute necessity for worship in my life. Worship is not something I can choose to do or not do. It is not a decision I make like whether I will go swimming or go to the mountains or to a lake or beach. Worship, according to the biblical understanding of it, is something a Christian does. It is not debatable. A Christian worships, if he or she really does care about God. Worship is essential to the vitality of an individual and to the vitality of a church.

Let me tell you a parable. One day Mr. or Ms. Spider walked out on a limb. He or she dropped a silver thread down from that limb and began to spin a beautiful web across a rushing stream that lay beneath it. Now Mr. or Ms. Spider sat on this delightful web and enjoyed it for some time capturing whatever came along for lunch, supper, or other occasions. Time went by and there was a great sense of satisfaction and delight in Mr. or Ms. Spider. But, then, one day the spider looked up at the silver thread which attached it to the limb, and asked: “What is that for? I don’t need that.” With one sweep, it was severed and the whole web went crashing into the stream below. And the spider was swept away.

I am astounded at how often we live like that. We think we can live without the vital cord that relates us to the God of the universe. So, we sever it, and we go our way without any kind of focus on God. Then we wonder why our life seems to be caught in the rapids of destructive elements which toss us in all directions. Worship sustains us; without it we die spiritually. To be meaningful, worship is not an occasional affair, but is practiced day after day, week after week, and year after year.

The Bible depicts many persons falling prostrate before God in worship and declaring: “Holy, holy is his name.” They freely acknowledge the mystery, power, and the awesome nature of the God of the universe. I worship for many reasons. I worship out of a sense of thanksgiving. I recall the time when my wife came back from surgery, and we received word that everything was fine. A sense of thanksgiving came to my lips. When my children were born, I remember going in their room and examining them and, then, expressing my sense of thanksgiving to God. I can still envision standing as a young man in the mountains of Virginia on an early summer morning and watching the sun rise above the lake as it sent its silhouette against the water and expressing a sense of thanksgiving to the Creator – God.

I also worship out of a sense of need. I acknowledge my own vulnerability. I acknowledge that I am not sufficient in and of myself and that I am not self-made. I need the great God of the universe, and I need the fellowship of the community of faith. I acknowledge my need as you also have a need. Some of you have moved to this community full of strangers, and there is a need. Some of you look across the table at an empty chair, and there is a need for worship. Some of you are struggling with problems with your family, with your husband or wife, your children, or aged parents, and there is a need in your life. There are those present who have financial problems. Many here are struggling with all kinds of dilemmas and difficulties and need the strength and power that comes from a source beyond ourselves. We have to acknowledge that we are not sufficient for all of this. I worship because of my own vulnerability. One accident in the bathtub, or one drunken driver who has lost control of his automobile, can change my whole life in an instant.

Worship becomes for us an oasis in time. We set apart a segment of time to focus our lives on the eternal God of the universe. We worship to draw on the strength and power of his presence to face the difficulties of life, as well as to express our thanksgiving. The word “sabbath” comes from an old Babylonian word which means “stop doing what you normally do.” Every one of us needs to stop doing what he or she normally does in one’s work and play and focus upon God so that each of us can draw the power of God’s presence into our lives. We are a holy temple, the people of God gathered to worship. We need worship as surely as our eyes need light to see, our ears need sound to hear, our lungs need air to breathe, and the body needs food to sustain it.

The Foundation of Community

The Church is also a community. It is a fellowship. It is a group of people who reach out to one another to draw strength from each other. As Paul reminds us, “We are bonded and knit together, no longer aliens, strangers, but we are fellow citizens.” We belong now to the community. We are not strangers; we are a part of the family. That is what the Church is — family.

I recall seeing a movie several years ago in which two prisoners, a black man, and a white man, were chained together in a prison camp. Anything they tried to do could not be done if they worked in discord. They had to learn to work in harmony. One day they escaped from the prison camp and, they learned quickly that if they were going to run, they had to do it together or else they would continuously fall. They were bonded together. Since we are bonded to the life of our neighbor, whether they are sister or brother, here in the fellowship of the Christian faith, we are involved in the lives of others. Our faith is always very personal, but it is never private. As a part of the Church, we live in relationship to others and never exist just in isolation. We reach out to others in their particular needs to show them that we care for them.

I know something of the concern and community of this congregation which has reached out to touch the lives of many in this community and I hope it will spread even more. Some of you are not really a part of that kind of community yet. In the Sunday School classes, W.M.U. circles, youth groups, and sometimes in other kinds of organizations within this church, you find persons who have bonded together into a strong fellowship in the church. It is amazing to see what community has meant to the Church as individuals were knit together one to the other down through the centuries. It was the early Church community which nurtured Paul and commissioned him to found other communities. It was the Christian community which sustained him and to whom he later wrote his epistles. The Church never exists merely for individuals, but individuals bonded together in fellowship in the body of Christ.

In one of Charles Schulz’s cartoons, Charlie Brown is sitting down watching television when Lucy enters the room and changes stations. He turns around and asks: “What gives you the right to change the station? I was watching that program!” She holds up her hand and says, “See these fingers. Individually they are not much, but when brought together like this, they become a force that’s mighty to behold.” Charlie Brown says, “That’s reason enough.”

When problems, difficulties, pains, aches, turmoil, demands, and hardships come upon us, they may be too much for us individually to withstand. The power of community helps us withstand these forces. When there is an awareness of each undergirding the other as a part of the fellowship of Christ, we sense the bond of togetherness which has knitted us together as a part of the Body of Christ. As “a building together,” we can withstand the strain or difficulty because we do not attempt to stand there isolated or alone. We share them with a brother or sister, and we find the strength of the community of faith.

The Foundation of Concern

If we are to build the Church, there is also the stone of concern and caring in its foundation. If we are a Christian community, it means that we really care for one another. We cannot be concerned for one’s own selfish ends, but we must learn to reach out and see the needs and demands of others. I am convinced that life teaches us early that caring is a very powerful emotion. We have signs all around us which remind us about the importance of caring. We see the sign when we pass on a two-lane road, “Pass with care.” We used to send “care packages” during the Second World War. We talk sometimes about getting tender loving care and a lotion with that same name. We have, stamped on some of our packages, “Handle with care.” I suppose one of the worst phrases that anybody can ever say to us is, “Well. I couldn’t care less.” But the Church is supposed to be a community that could not care more for one another. The Church is the place where we reach out to touch one another with our concerns and our needs.

As the body of Christ, the Church is like a web. When any one part is touched, the whole feels the vibration. When there is an ache which hurts over in this corner of the Church, another part senses it as well. We are attuned and knit together as a part of the body of Christ, and experience each other’s needs and, then, seek to reach out with arms of love, support, and concern for one another. The authentic Church, then, is a community of caring people. The Church is concerned about the educated and the uneducated, the wealthy and the poor, the young and the old, the singles and the married. The Church addresses all kinds of needs. It reaches out to the sick and to the well, to those whose marriages are sound and to those whose marriages are trembling with discord. The Church reaches out to the ill and well, the lonely and happy, the grieving and the rejoicing, and the strong and weak. It says to all people we care for you. In this community the Church reaches out to express God’s love and grace.

“We are a holy temple,” the Scriptures declare. The word “holy” means to be set apart. We are set apart not for our own glory. We cannot go over into some private corner and say: “Oh, aren’t we wonderful boys and girls and men and women.” We are set apart to serve. To be Christ’s people in the world means that we will be involved in the life of our own community where we care for one another. Where there is lack of caring and concern, we have to question whether that structure is really the Church.

The Foundation of Compulsion

Another foundation stone in the building of the Church is a great sense of compulsion. You and I cannot keep the gospel to ourselves, but we are commissioned to share it with other people. Emil Brunner says that “the Church exists by mission just as fire exists by burning.” When a fire ceases to burn, it is not fire. When a church ceases to be concerned about other people, and stops sharing the good news of the gospel, it has become only a social club. Without a sense of compulsion to share the good news, the Church is not a part of the body of Christ. In Christ’s name we are willing to go, to be, and to serve. In the Great Commission of Jesus, the statement is expressed in the Greek not as imperatives but as participles. It reads more exactly, “As you are going...” Jesus is assuming that those who have felt and experienced his redeeming grace will be sharing the good news with other people. Not to share the gospel is to leave the blind man in his darkness, the deaf person in her silence, the beggar at the gate, to pass by on the other side of the man hurt on the Samaritan Road, and to leave those who hurt in their pain.

We cannot be content to receive the good news, but we must also be willing to share it. We must not be content to receive salvation but to become agents of reconciliation. We must not be content to receive love but to become lovers in the world so that other people can see the power and grace of Christ through our lives. We must not be satisfied to accept the labor and sacrifices of our ancestors and be unwilling to labor in Christ’s Church ourselves. In 2 Samuel 24: 19-25, we have the story where David approached a stranger, who was not a Hebrew, and asked him if he could buy a certain field and build an altar to God. The man offered to give the field to David, but David declined his offer, and said: “No. I will not offer to the Lord my God that which costs me nothing.” We have to remember that it often can be costly to be a part of the community that worships God, and we do not want to offer God “that which costs us nothing.” It is not “cheap grace,” as Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us.

It will cost you and me time, energy, and possessions as we commit them in Christ’s service. In the Church of Christ there is a sense of compulsion to go and share the good news of Christ with others. We are commissioned to build the Church of Christ. We are knitted together and bonded together as his people. The Church as “living stones” is a living, growing organism. The Church is always a living body because it is a living God who directs its mission.

A painting depicted Satan and Faust engaged in a chess match. Underneath the painting were written these words, “Checkmate.” If you know anything about chess, you know that the word “checkmate” means the game is over. The king can make only limited moves, while the queen is the most versatile player on the board. Other pieces on the board have limited moves. One day a world champion chess player came into the art gallery and studied the painting for a long time, and, then, he exclaimed so that everybody in the gallery could hear him: “It’s a lie. Both the king and the knight can move!”

There are a lot of people who are trying to tell us that the Church is dead; it is checkmated. That is a lie. The Church of Jesus Christ is alive and at work in the world. We are a part of his Church. We are the people of God. Let Christ build us, mold us, and make us into the kind of people that we should be. May God grant that we shall be his living Church in the world.