Christians and Church. Little Christs or Hypocrites?

When we use the words Christian and church are we speaking the same language?

My son’s homework this week is all about homonyms, homophones, and homographs. For those of you, who like me, need a little grammar refreshment -

A homonym is a word that is said or spelled the same way as another word but has a different meaning

A homophone is a word that sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning and/or spelling

The noun homograph is used to talk about two words that are spelled the same but have different meanings and are pronounced differently

Christians - Are We Speaking The Same Language

As I’m reading these definitions I begin to wonder where our words church and Christian fit in. So many of us use these words but over the centuries they’ve morphed. Perhaps we are speaking in homophones. Perhaps we are speaking a different language

God is clear in regards to His love for His people (see: A Love Like No Other). He is the bridegroom who delights in His bride. But our interpretations of Scripture, of Christ’s time on this earth, and how we are called to live out being that bride - a christian, or little Christ - differs greatly on whether we focus on the Jesus who flipped tables in anger or ate with the prostitutes and tax collectors

The Picture Perfect Church

In Nehemiah 8 all the people have gathered together in eagerness to hear the Word of God and have it explained to them. The leaders did not just read the Law to the people, they explained it. Some were moved to weeping by the words they heard but their leaders encouraged them, telling them it was not a time to grieve. The people then left to fellowship together, to eat and drink and to share in one another’s joy at what they had come to understand

This is such a beautiful picture of the church. But it’s not the picture we all have. Every Sunday morning as I crawl out of bed and head into church this is the ideal that I have in my head, the hope for what the day will bring.

The Word of God should inspire and move us. It should enlighten us, bring us joy, draw us into fellowship with one another.

In Psalm 19:7-8 it says,

The law of the Lord is perfect

and preserves one’s life.

The rules set down by the Lord are reliable

and impart wisdom to the inexperienced.

The Lord’s precepts are fair

and make one joyful.

The Lord’s commands are pure

and give insight for life.

God’s Word is sweetness to those who believe in Him. They are words of life, instruction on how to make sense of this world that we often find ourselves lost in, and how to interact with one another.

Christian: A Body Worth Celebrating

Every Christian is part of the body of Christ. That means the crazies shouting from the rooftops with their anti-everything signs and the crazies hugging everyone and every crazy one of us in-between. We all serve a purpose in building one another up. Our Christian status is not dependent on whether we are voting for Hillary or Trump or whether we fight for or against same-sex marriage. It isn’t about what we are standing against or standing for. It’s about acknowledging that without Christ we are nothing, we are broken human beings in desperate need of His grace (see: How Jonah Taught Me Grace). It’s why we use the same words that mean entirely different things.

This month I have been a part of a 31 Days of Scripture Journaling Challenge where every day I dive into the life of one of the many remarkable women of the Bible. These women were daring, compassionate, full of faith and doubt. Some were defiant others were faithful. One was a prostitute, another a queen. Every one of them responded differently to the call on her life and found God in the midst of her own journey. The one thing they all had in common was that they were recipients of God’s grace.

1 Corinthians 12, the analogy of the body being made up of many members gives us hope. Together we build one another up. The verse I think we have forgotten is 12:26″If one member suffers, everyone suffers with it. If a member is honored, all rejoice with it.” It is in our fellowship, in our striving for that picture perfect church presented in Nehemiah that we build one another up. It is in the togetherness that we grow.

We are called to walk with one another through suffering (see: Just Show Up) not throw stones and chastise one another for where we are on the journey compared to where they are. I believe Jesus had a few words about who should cast the first stone, and I’m 100% positive it’s not me. In fact, I’m more positive about it not being me then I am on whether or not those were His words.

A Church w/o People = A Sexless Marriage

I can’t remember the first time I heard it. It has become cliche. “I don’t go to church because they are all hypocrites.” I won’t argue. There is a reason that cliches become cliches. They resonate with people because they find truth in them. I’m not here to falsify cliches. I’m here to say we rise above them.

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Let’s talk sex. Knock your socks off marathon all-nighters may be wonderful but they are not the norm Hollywood portrays. Nor are the one night stands as fulfilling as TV shows would have us think. The church is similar. That first time we go we may be swept off our feet, dazzled by the lights, the show, the handshakes and genuine interest others have in us the newcomers. Then we return for more and more and find out these shiny people who looked so perfect on the outside and made us feel so good about who we are, are in fact just as broken as us. They each come with baggage that weighs them down and suddenly that smile has a story behind it and we begin to see the front they put on for the world. So we begin to hop from church to church so that we only see the shiny new beginnings and connect as much as possible in that first month before jumping ship and moving on to our next one night stand. But there is no fulfillment, no depth to the intimacy we are attempting to create.

Have you seen the movie, Brooklyn? The sex scene has stayed with me. It’s sweet, simple and a connection. It’s real. It’s not unnatural lengths of unfathomable twists and maneuvers for pretzel perfection. It is two people in love connecting and committing to one another.

Sex is fun but it’s also messy and emotional. It’s not tidy and it’s never the same. If we allow our perception of how it should be to cloud the gift of what we have, or if we allow that one awkward night to shadow our thoughts then we will soon find ourselves in a sexless marriage.

Being a Christian but refusing the community of the church, no matter how flawed, has the same fulfillment as living in a sexless marriage.

When Jesus Showed Up

When Jesus first showed up in the synagogues He was praised by all who came to hear Him. He was new and shiny and He promised good things. He read from Isaiah and claimed the prophecy had been fulfilled. In Luke 4:21 He is very clear in referring to Himself as the fulfillment of the prophecy He has read. He did not hesitate, but rather proclaimed who He was- the coming Messiah.

Jesus held true to the format of the picture perfect church laid out in Nehemiah. He took the scroll, read from it, then explained it’s meaning. We will find in later verses that His words were not always accepted. The picture perfect model of Nehemiah falls apart. There is no celebration of what they have received.

Jesus entered a time of corruption in the religious system. Yet, despite the many times Jesus chastised the religious leaders, He still worshiped in the synagogues and sought out the fellowship of other Jews. He found fellowship with religious leaders, tax collectors and prostitutes alike.

Today I think we would find Him even breaking bread surrounded by both Trump and Clinton supporters. Why? Because life is messy and our messes change over time. Our journey is just that, a journey and we are all striving to make sense of where we are, where we’ve come from, and where we are going.

So yes. The church is full of hypocrites, people who claim to be little Christs but act more like Pharisees, tax collectors, and prostitutes. But point out where in Scripture Christ wouldn’t have broken bread with the least of us or better yet find me one person who isn’t a hypocrite hiding their baggage behind their smile. It’s not a reason to run, it’s a reason to love harder.

2016 Revised Common Lectionary / Third Sunday after the Epiphany / January 24th

Nehemiah 8:1-10, Psalm 19, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a, Luke 4:14-21

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