I don’t know what it was that set me off but it sparked something inside of me that has not released it’s grip on my mind since we last debated.
It all started when we were talking about churches and their seemingly new need to “re-style”, “re-tool” even “re-shape” the gospel of Jesus. We were discussing how a church strikes a balance between delivery and content. We were the epicenter of the post-modern.
Then came the topic and the ensuing discussion. “Should a church abandon the symbols associated with Christianity so that those who come to our churches won’t be offended by them?”
And like Emeril Legace….BAM! BAM! There it was. Wiggling on the floor just waiting to be pounced upon like tigger and the unsuspecting rabbit.
My Temperature rising. My Emotion building. Words squeezing out…
NO! NO! NO! I found myself at that critical intersection where no lights govern and everyone is obeying the 4-way stop signs.
We as a church cannot abandon the symbols that represent the very organic, living body that we as followers of Christ (or in old school language – Christians), we as a church cannot abandon the symbols that represent our faith.
We believe in the cross. It was on a cross where a Palestinian jew hung beaten and bruised for our sins. It is bare because he died on it, he was buried after being taken down from that rugged cross, placed in a borrowed tomb and that tomb is empty because on the third day, God rose him from the dead.
Too many people since that blood-covered weekend have either died for it or on it. because of their allegiance to the man who was crucified as the king of the Jews. The cross represents the grace and forgiveness of a loving God while at the same time addressing the wrath and justice of a holy and sometimes angry God.
"I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18, NLT)
"God’s way seems foolish to the Jews because they want a sign from heaven to prove it is true. And it is foolish to the Greeks because they believe only what agrees with their own wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended, and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense." (1 Corinthians 1:22-23, NLT)
I love the people that come to our house each week looking to understand how this life we live as Christians makes a difference. I love it when we debate the very things that are central and deeply important. They drive me to understand and integrate at deeper levels the reasons behind a reasonable faith. They are fellow sojourners on this piece of rock that spins in perfect harmony and balance.
As for the symbols, my devotion to them is far less than my devotion to my King and Savior. But as for their value to the church…
