Cyber Gleanings, November, 2005:

Dear People of St. John’s,

I’m not sure how true it is, but I like the story about the young American piano student who was visiting the Beethoven museum in Bonn.  She was fascinated by the piano upon which Beethoven had composed some of his greatest works.  Showing the bravery of the young and innocent, she asked the security guard if she might be permitted to play a few measures on the piano.  Her request was accompanied by a large tip, so the guard agreed.  The girl seated herself at the keyboard and produced the opening bars of the Moonlight Sonata.  Having finished, she remarked to the guard, “I suppose all the great pianists who come here want to play on that piano.”

The guard shook his head and looked rather serious.  “No, miss,” he said, “In fact, Paderewski was here once and said he wasn’t worthy to touch it.”

Our relationship to God in Christ, personal though it is designed to be, is nevertheless intended to be lived out in community.  Our theology has taught us that the community most suited for adding the necessary flesh, bone, and body to that community is the continuing incarnation of Jesus the Christ which we call the Church.  But, sometimes we are like the young piano student in the museum.  We have grown so accustomed to the Church being there when we need it; seeing it as part of our tradition and heritage that we have been lulled into bad theology.  We have not always treated it with the reverence and respect it deserves; not because of what it does but because of what it is.

Let me be as clear as possible with my own theology.  I remind each one of us, myself most of all, that God’s creation does not belong to us.  My benediction every Sunday contains those very words.  The Church does not belong to us, either.  In every place, in whatever shape, by whatever expression, and in whatever liturgy or lack thereof, the Church belongs to Jesus the Christ!  We are loved enough, trusted enough, to exercise stewardship over the spiritual and temporal manifestations of the Church where we are.  But, be not deceived; should we fail in that stewardship, the Church of Jesus the Christ continues.  The gates of hell cannot prevail against it!

On October 30^th, we will be given an opportunity to pledge to the work of this congregation.  I hope you will remember that this is not something we have to do.  In the same way that we do not have to worship together, we do not have to pray together, nor do we have to give.  We are allowed to do those things by the grace and love of a God great enough to give us that kind of freedom.  We are not puppets on a string.  We are given freedom to make crucial choices.  God will not violate our personality and God will not crash our party.  God in Christ operates in, around, under, and through us on the basis of invitation only.

Oh, I believe God in Christ desires to be included, involved in every area of our life.  God wishes to be consulted before we decide a particular course of action.  Making a decision about tithing, agreeing to pledge for the work of the Church, consciously moving to a higher level of sacrificial giving should be done only after thoughtful prayer.  If others are affected by our level of giving, they should be involved in the discussion and decision. 

Should we conclude that God is leading us to make a leap of faith, God will also help us see that we will lack nothing because of that decision.  Giving until it feels good always make better sense than giving until it hurts.

At our 8:00 AM service every Sunday we say, “All things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee.”  Do we mean it or are we guilty of committing individual and collective perjury?  We really do not have to pray or worship or give.  Those are not rights.  Those things are privileges.  We have no right to do them.  We are allowed to do them.  Seeing the truth in that keeps us from taking vital things for granted.

                                                                     Peace,

                                                                 Tom