Sacramental Living

Recently, a friend asked me “Weren’t you called to preach?”

You see, he was under the assumption that I had to be a pastor to preach. And since I resigned from the typical pastorate last autumn, I must not be preaching anymore.

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Lately I’ve been connecting with more US Americans who are on a similar journey through (and away from) the institutional church.

It’s encouraging to know there are some Ezekiels, Isaiahs, and Jeremiahs out there.

Imagine how lonely the original prophets must have been. They were blessed because everyone spoke evil of them, hated them, derided them for not getting with the system.

But it was a lonely blessing.

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A friend who I am working on a project with sent me a Bresee quote in response to one of my recent posts.  It’s golden:

“As a result much effort is being made to elegantly house the gathering of the people who are supposed to meet and worship God. Elaborate and expensive buildings are erected, often as a burden and sometimes to the distress of the people; and usually as places of spiritual desolation. That there should be a plain, unostentatious place for the people to gather, where especially the poor and those whom the world despises, should have special opportunities, there is no question. But the eras of nice church buildings have been times of spiritual decline from the days of Constantine and his mother Helena until today.”

–Phineas Bresee, Nazarene Messenger 6/13/1901

Sounds like he’s talking about post-Christian US America, doesn’t it?  But check the date … 1901, people!  What a visionary he was.  And what an inspiration today.  The voice of the prophet echoes over 107 years and nails the reason for our spiritual decline.

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:
What does this quote do for you?

——

Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
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