Falling From the Nest

For a number of springtimes, there has been a pair Carolina Chick-a-dees who take up residence on the front porch of Quiet Rest, building a nest and hatching their yearly family . One spring, a Copperhead slithered up the cedar post and devoured the young. Another year it was the resident Black snake who swallowed the small eggs.  Last spring, two of the babies fell out of the overcrowded nest.  I was under the false assumption that if we touched them with our bare hands, the parents would refuse to attend them, so I wore leather gloves to replace them carefully back home with their brothers and sisters. When I saw the little ones with open mouths, stretched necks I thought they were hungry. So I gave watch a hour or so to see the parents return. One did return with something in it's mouth but immediately flew off without feeding it. I took it upon myself to find some small grubs and beetles. Found two sticks, made chop sticks and tried to feed them all but only a couple would take it.  All of this; only to find the next day three more had fallen out. This time all three were dead. Was it due to my feeding? Right or wrong, I concluded that six brothers and/or sisters, inadvertently, had not fostered room. Or maybe was it because they had died and were pushed out?  The question gnawed at me. Had I feed them inappropriately? The wrong food? Should I have let the mother and father attended to their created responsibility; later learned from a wildlife article?   

The appalling consequences of this experience has ignited my thoughts to believe there is a parallel habit that is all too common in many churches which much of the time goes unnoticed. Easily stated, the problem is that many consistent churchgoers do not have a comprehensive, steadfast biblical foundation for their faith. It has been some concern to me over the past couple of decades that the nitty gritty discipline of critical, theological reflection, which births a mature application of the faith in all aspects of life, has all but vanished from many pulpits. Not realizing like those feeble hatchlings, last spring, too many congregants are are most likely swallowing anything that comes their way.

Living in a period when an instant feel good experience is believed to be the stalwart custodian of what is confidently know as reality is a travesty. In matters of religion, it is assumed that there are no experts, it is what it is, and the advice of a talk show host on spirituality is as reliable, if not more so, than a pastor who follows Christ alone. On the other hand, I'm sorry to say, I see some congregant leaders who distinguish themselves by their oratory skills and ability to draw a crowd are unwittingly branded successful, regardless of the depth and rigor with which they themselves, let alone their listeners, grapple with the Scriptures. I remember, as long ago as a decade, that the admirable, leaders of Willow Creek Community Church, gave a deeply convicting admission their way of doing church had failed to produce devoted disciples of Jesus. This was the case, even having  spent millions of dollars, and investing in church activities over the past several decades.  This is the way Pastor Bill Hybels put it, "it's a wake up call” to all of the people of God. I found that my memory had served me correct when I typed in "Willow Creek repented" on my computer.

In stark contrast, it seems to me, St. Paul writting in his letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4, verse fourteen, envisioned a church community in which gifted leaders equip God’s people towards unity and maturity in their knowledge of Christ so that they (the people) can do the work of the ministry. If we run the church this way, “we will no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.” I'll never be convinced otherwise; that the Christian life is neither a call to legalism nor a call to lawlessness; it is a call to true, lasting transformation of the whole person in Christ. Especially, me and my elder friends, more than any time, need to remember every day that fruits of righteousness will absolutely sprout from a well-tended, blooming soul.

Consequently, I must resist the temptation to let the ministers in my church study the Bible for me!  My pastors are there to declare the story of God, introduce Christ, and inspire me in desiring to imbibe the Same. I should have the same expectation of myself as I have of my pastors. My assignment is different, and although I may be a step ahead in the my spiritual journey only means I bear more responsibility towards others. I am a priest in the temple of God like any other believer. I labor in the same pasture as everyone other believer, and know from personal experience - any black sheep can be found and made new by the Shepherd.

Unfortunately, I've found that folks my age often operate on a premise similar to popular television programs, YouTube, or social media. The format is always the same: you show as much garbage as you can during the program and then take the last few seconds to issue some moral exhortations. When I think about it, the logic behind this is truly incredible. As a thinking person, how in the world can I believe that a one minute, haphazard, second-rate moralizing statement can enrich the effects of a full hour of damned moral filth? Yet if I live my life as though God does not exist six days of the week how can I expect a one hour church service and shaking the hand of the pastor on Sunday morning to straighten me out?  If I don't learn to feed properly and consistently on Christ Himself and the reality of God's kingdom boxed in His Word, I leave myself quite vulnerable to the never-tiring enemy of my soul whose time-tested skills at feeding unprotected, hungry mouths are unequalled. There is a far truer food and an eternal heavenly Parent Who feeds the Bread of Life.

Father, God, thank You for Your Word!  I commit to daily absorbing it to overflowing.  Forgive me of any time in attempting to let my pastor and anyone else be a scapegoat for that which I am responsible.  Amen