Sacramental Living

That quote is from Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest.” Shakespeare is my favorite playwright. In my former vocation I was thrilled each time I was able to perform in or direct a Shakespeare play. Now I’m finding his writing rich with theological consideration (some of it is bad theology, but there is much that stimulates the wonder of the things of God). Prospero is the character that says, “We are such stuff / As dreams are made on” at the climax of the play. It is a play rich with the ideas of reconciliation, forgiveness, and faith in the future. Sounds like key interests to Christians, does it not?

This line has been swimming around in my head as of late and now I guess I’m ready to venture a few quick thoughts on it. I believe God dreams great things: for the world, for countries, for tribes, for neighborhoods, for geographical communities, for families, and for individuals. All of God’s Story is one giant unravelling (and still continuing) narrative of how God’s dreams are conceived, thwarted, received, rejected, amended, changed, and so on.

I believe God is dreaming some amazing things for the people I see everyday. To quote the theologically astute song, “Oh who are the people in your neighborhood? …. They’re the people that you meet when you’re walkin’ down the street; they’re the people that you meet each day!” To give it a Jesus-like paraphrase: “Who is my neighbor? Everyone I come in contact with everyday.” What if I (and believers in my community) began to look at our neighbor not as some not-yet believer who needs the answer that we have; but rather a unique and wonderful person (family, community, neighborhood, city, county, etc.) whom God was dreaming something quite wonderful for? Then what if we went so far as to live life with them as if God’s Spirit was working in their lives before we even met them?

If God has truly created every person who has ever walked on this planet to be in relationship with the One who is the source of life, then it seems plausible that the Holy Spirit has already been wooing not-yet beleivers (and believers!) since childhood. There is a need to connect with the transcendent one called Jesus Christ in everyone. It’s not my job to figure out their problems or give them a 3-step process to handle all of life’s stresses and trouble. Rather, it is my calling (and the calling of the ones called Christian) to come along side not-yet believers, and join God, in discovering God’s redemptive purpose for them, nurturing the Story within and around them, and supporting and connecting with them in the world of God’s dreams.

I have heard it alot from well-meaning Christian leaders: “Christ’s purpose for the believer and believing community is the Great Commission; go make disciples.” A canonical, holistic reading of scripture and understading of God’s Story recognizes that God’s Holy Spirit is the one who makes disciples. We can’t even begin to co-create wonder in the world with God (read: “make disciples”) unless we are living out the Great Commandments: Love God and love your neighbor.

This means that we must recognize that all of us (believers and not-yet believers) are such stuff as dreams are made on: God’s dreams! This understanding helps me to love everyone; for I am convinced that God is dreaming something wonderful for them, far beyond what they could ask or imagine. I simply want to come alongside and help their dreams and God’s dreams connect. Isn’t this a mysterious, awesome, and simple calling?

I was reading recently where Gandhi was once asked why he was not a Christian even though he spoke highly of Christ. Gandhi’s reply: “I would become a Christian, if I could just find one.”

Ouch! Immediately we might want to respond to such a subtle accusation by reminding Gandhi of all the churches that are filled (or partly filled) each Sunday. “Go into any one,” we might say, “and meet a Christian.” The truth is, Gandhi’s reply is haunting me.

Confession: I have come to the end of my rope with myself in living a segmented life.

My mantra, for those who know me, is “Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi.” My cute paraphrase for this orthodox idea is “The way you worship is the way you live.” What I attest in words must be lived out. Am I living and worshipping simultaneously at all times? Or am I segmenting my time and my life into being a husband, a father, a pastor and many other things? Am I living my life in a segmented way? Do I change hats countless times a day, shifting my roles from husband, to father, to pastor, to friend, to any number of things, over and over again?

If I am to be a Christian what that literally means is a “little Christ.” Jesus lived his life holistically; there was no segmenting. He wasn’t Jesus the friend at one point, then Jesus the teacher at another, then later in the night Jesus the spiritual mystic, then waking up to be Jesus the healer, and so on ad infinitum. Jesus was just Jesus . . . at all times in all places with all people.

The mission of the church I pastor has evolved from what Christ called the two greatest commandments: “Loving God. Loving People.” Such a life calls for radical responsibility and unsegmented openness in living. I must so live that everyone I come in contact with is my neighbor. Ouch! Even the server at the restaurant who can’t get the order right and is taking her occupational frustration out on me is my neighbor? Yep. Even the guy who makes a bee-line to the express check-out lane and cuts in front of me as I am struggling to balance the boxes of Powerbars in one arm and my son in the other is my neighbor? Yep. Even the person who lives on my street that never returns a smile to a smile or says a word in response to my friendly “How’s it goin’?” is my neighbor? Yep.

Confession: I have come to the end of myself, trying to do the Christian life in my own power.

It’s time for me to start living like I truly believe the message of the cross: that Jesus himself will empower me to live like a “little Christ” if I only trust his life in me. It’s time for be to be like Christ to all people, regardless of their relationship to me and regardless of their circumstance in life.

And it’s past time for the Church to get about living like Christians. I can’t do much to change the one holy universal Church, nor even my own denomination. But I can do something in the local congregation.

Confession: I have grown tired and weary of congregations with great programs, great fellowship, great fill-in-the-blank while all the while living a segmented approach to life.

I want families to enjoy their time in the church building, of course. I want their to be sacrament, Word, worship and life lived within the walls, of course. But I want more than anything for the local church to spend more time outside the church property than in the building living like Christ . I want to see believers and not-yet believers joined in showing God’s kindness and love to everyone . . . yes . . . EVERYONE. I don’t care for church growth; I simply care that the Gandhi’s of the world meet some Christians. If I could just be one all the time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, not segmenting my time into family time, personal time, church time, and so on . . . then and maybe then Christ’s love and God’s kindness and the Spirit’s goodness might be seen in my neck of the woods.

Confession: I’m convinced that the only way to be a disciple is to love and serve all people.

When will all we’ve learned — the great theology, the scripture, the endless ministries to every group under the sun — transform the way we live all the time? Gloryfying God means loving people. And loving people means serving them. If a congregation is not about showing God’s kidness and love all the time to those outside the believing community, then that congregation does not love God.

Confession: I want to be a Christian . . . not just sound like one.