Hearing the Music

Practical Atheists

Pastor Jack Miller once said about his own church, “Practical atheists abound in conservative churches as well as liberal ones. These folks attend church and honor the Bible, not because they are there to submit everything to the authority of the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, but because of the emotional need that is met by traditional religious order and moral structure. One man put it like this: ‘Even if I didn’t believe God existed, I’d fight for Him all the way. I’d never miss church and would always insist that my family come too. We need religion in our lives. Otherwise the bottom would fall out of everything.’” 

There is a lot of truth in the notion that religion provides structure to life. We can observe that truth by looking around at the various world religions and to some degree affirm its veracity. But we also observe the emptiness that exists for those who only look to religion for structure. In the case of our practical atheist above, there is no relationship, no friendship, no sense of awe or true humility, no forgiveness, no atonement; there is only form, only structure.  

Jesus encountered similar attitudes during his sojourn on earth. We will meet one such person this Sunday when we look at Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus in John 3. While Nicodemus may not be exactly like our practical atheist above, he shares a Venn diagram of form, structure and little relationship. The beautiful thing about this story for all of us that fall into the "religion" trap, is that Jesus knows what is in our hearts just as well as he knew what was in Nicodemus' heart. And just as he invited Nicodemus to a way of life, a way of seeing, that is so much more than religion, so we are invited as well.

Photo by Vlad Shalaginov on Unsplash

The Prayer of Faith

“Prayer delights God’s ear; it melts His heart.”

– Thomas Watson

What a gift we have in prayer. Prayer speaks to the relationship that we have with God. We do not serve a a god who has simply wound up the universe and is tucked away somewhere in the cosmos. But rather we are invited into relationship with a Father who is intimately involved with his children.

“Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.”
– Oswald Chambers

Prayer speaks to God's power at work in his creation. Our God is the one who owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He is Jehovah Jireh. He is El Shaddai. He holds the hearts of kings in his hands. We bring to him our global concerns, our geo-political concerns, our desires to see the knowledge of God cover the earth. Prayer is the way this work goes forward; in our homes, from our homes, and throughout the world.

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.  Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.    James 5:13–15

Prayer is the means by which we bring together the heart of God with his power. When we are sick he calls us to prayer. In the moment of our frailty, he invites us to remember his fortitude.  Our Father remembers that we are dust and as the Great Physician calls us to seek his care.

Since we began again with our Wednesday nights January 18th, we have been about the work of prayer. We have had folks gathered to pray for the hard things going on in our world. Folks praying for the ministry that emanates from Christ Church. Especially praying for its effectiveness in reaching into the lives of those most in need. Our kids and young people have been about the business of prayer, learning and leaning into this precious gift.  

The other prayer initiative not mentioned above is that each week we have have folks gathered to intercede on behalf of those needs that touch on the body of Christ Church. We pray for those who are sick. We pray for concerns like family relationships, job loss, etc.. This coming week (and again on March 1st) we are going to invite any in our congregation with ongoing needs, be they physical/emotional needs (illness, injury, depression, anxiety) or things like a particularly entrenched relational difficulty or besetting sin, to come and have the elders of the church anoint and pray with them in accordance with James 5. This is a practice that we have employed when people have specifically sought it out, but since we don't always know the needs that exist we thought we would offer it more generally. Martin Luther once said, "“None can believe how powerful prayer is, and what it is able to effect, but those who have learned it by experience. It is a great matter when in extreme need to take hold on prayer.” Let us learn this by experience together!

This coming Lord's Day we will be looking at the power of the Kingdom that breaks into the fallenness of the world through the lens of Luke 4:31-44. Once again we will see people flocking to Jesus, both gathering crowds as well individuals who do not come themselves but are found by Jesus. Once again we will have our attention drawn by this one filled with compassion and power!

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Learning from History

I was thinking a little bit about our history this week, back to the very inception of Christ Church. Francis Schaeffer, a name known by many, but not by all, was a pastor in what was known as the Reformed Presbyterian Evangelical Synod (RPCES). Schaeffer, a man who was committed to the scriptures and the Reformed faith, a man who loved children and was known to wear knickers; came to have a global ministry though his apologetics and the hospitality of L'Abri.  

It was the ministry of Dr. Schaeffer that caught the attention of a group of folks in Grand Rapids looking for way of understanding the scriptures and a denominational home that combined scriptural integrity with a compassionate authenticity that truly engaged those around them. And thus, Christ Church became a member of the RPCES, a denomination that would merge with the PCA in 1982, under the leadership of Dr. Schaeffer, and here we are.

It is interesting history but not simply trivia. Two observations may be helpful in gaining a present appreciation for how our past continues to shape us. First, recently a letter from Dr. Schaeffer was uncovered chronicling his thinking on a new Presbyterian denomination known as the National Presbyterian Church (this would later become the PCA) that was emerging out of the old Southern Presbyterian Church. Schaeffer noted with appreciation its desire to maintain scriptural integrity and the Reformed faith, but also its commitment to what Schaeffer called "observable love". Maintaining respect for opponents and those you disagreed with was always a hallmark for Schaeffer of the true Christian. He was encouraged to see this in the the nascent PCA, even in the midst of bitter disappointment and sharp disagreement with their brothers and sisters in the PCUS. It is a reminder to us that this "observable love" is still called for today. Jesus' prayer in John 17:20-26 that we would be known by our love for one another remains a prayer to live into.

Secondly, Christ Church remains deeply marked by the influence of Dr. Schaeffer. It has shaped our commitment to the Reformed faith and Presbyterian ecclesiology. Our appreciation of a comprehensive world and life view that sees the Gospel as vibrant to our view of vocation and the arts as it is to personal salvation has roots in Schaeffer's teaching. The influence of L'Abri (French word for shelter) can be seen in Christ Church's commitment to hospitality and welcoming those who are seeking refuge. Schaeffer encouraged a way of life that cared about the environment. And on it goes. It is a good heritage and a continuing blueprint for the future.

This week we will take up Jesus' interaction with Levi, or maybe he is better known as Matthew (Matt 9:9–17; Mark 2:13–17; Luke 5:27–38). In this encounter, we realize that Schaeffer was simply following the way of life that Jesus modeled. Jesus was the original welcomer of sinners. Jesus was the one who could absorb questions and present a way of life that was both authentic and full of integrity. Jesus was the one who was worthy to flock to!

Photo by Christopher Flynn on Unsplash