. . . 'cause i'm longing to hear
i know love don't come easy
~say say, secret service
they asked. i wrote:
1) commuting to church isn't ideal: churches should focus on reaching their next-door neighbours today.
2) there is far too great a disconnect between the church and social services wings of the salvation army. every congregation should be serving meals, assisting with the street van, and otherwise participating in social services on a regular basis. if congregants are not given a challenge (paired with an opportunity) to regularly and personally get involved in saving souls and serving suffering humanity, they are not attending salvation army churches. if our good news does not include freedom from poverty, abuse, addiction, hopelessness, pride, lust, bitterness, rejection, and all other forms of bondage, we are not the salvation army.
3) too many people continue attending salvation army churches without paying heed to our core values. our leaders are in the unique position of not having to pander to congregants, since they are ultimately accountable to dhq, thq, and God. use that beautiful opportunity to push the envelope on self-sacrifice, service, healing, and holiness. don't let our agenda get hijacked by those who want to talk about whether band music and black suits define us. wounded hearts inspire us and union with God beckons us. let us march along the road set out for us, and may nothing deter us from radical, senseless love.
4) bring back the sacraments and bring them back now. educate us on them, 'cause some of us might get confused. in short: we need tradition. no, not for salvation. for that other thing . . . what's it called? oh, yeah: community that reaches beyond our clique and into the so-called church invisible we claim to believe in. also, as a means of grace.
6 comments:
i like what you say lots of times, but i just can't agree with the whole sacraments thing. i am way not opposed to people practicing the sacraments...if that's something you feel is meaningful in your relationship with Christ then have at 'er. and i am not opposed to salvos taking part in the sacraments either. however, i think the fact that the army doesn't practice them regularly is important simply because people need an environment where they can be comfortable NOT practicing them. cuz that's okay too.
maybe i am speaking purely out of personal bias, who knows. i don't enjoy communion. it's a fine thing and all, but i think that if i attended a church that practiced communion regularly, it would hinder my ability to relate to God in that setting. it gets in the way because it feels empty and meaningless to me and it should be something rich and full of meaning. so i don't take communion. likewise, i have no desire to be baptised. i understand that it is a beautiful, symbolic act, but i don't feel i need it. my desire to publicly declare my beliefs and lifestyle choices was satisfied by my enrolment [among other events], and i don't see any purpose in baptism other than that public declaration. i understand that many people would disagree with me on this, which is cool. i guess it's just that i'm saved, and i know i'm saved, and i've told other people that i'm saved, so the whole water thing just kinda seems uneccessary.
as for education on the sacraments, i would agree. there is a misconception within a lot of salvationist circles that there is something horribly wrong with taking communion, which i would say is silly. but that is an issue of too many sally ann folk not caring to learn why the army practices what it does [can easily be applied to uniforms, abstaining from alcohol/gambling/smoking/etc.] the lack of community with the Body as a whole, in my opinion, is the direct result of too little education about what the army is [should be] and what the Church is [should be], not the fact that we don't pass out wine and wafers.
i have a lot more words in my head about the army [God bless her] but maybe later. for now i have to go wash the fabric stiffener off of myself. [yes, you read that right.]
are we missing something?
Symbolism is great, my faith really ought to mean something to me. The thing I like about the sacraments is that I didnt choose them. They arent reflections of how I belive or I feel. They reflect the faith passed down to us by the apostles (ultimately). Now I do understand that the selection process was a little more complicated than that, but even those councils, those papal bulls, and those many treatises had somethign greater than their own symbolism in mind. Baptism is great because baptism is consistantly represented throughout the New Testmane as the sign of salvation. Communion, the eucharist, whatever, derived from the last acts and commands of a pre-crucified Jesus, has to have some merit. Marriage, a sacrament according to the church, and honoured in Paul. Ordination is representative of the priority of Christian mission and the responsibility that christian leaders have to the church and to the gospel. And my favorite part, even as a pentecostal, I sound like catholic when I talk about this sort of stuff, and love the fact that there are some things, thgouh theology differs widely, that stand as "things reminiscent of Christ and Christianity" and I think I would endorse them on that basis alone. heck, Id rather be known as a partaker in the sacraments than associated with crusades or that chick from "Saved" nine times out of ten.
mara, I love how you think.
YES radical senseless love. I dunno if communion would really help us to do that more.... i'm sure we've talked about this; jesus said "do this in remembrance of me", but he didn't say we should do it in lines every sunday. Baptism on the other hand is something I'd like to see being practised in the army - not because it's "neccesary", but because it would help us to understand better what it is to have drowned our sinful nature and risen again as a new creation in christ... I was enrolled as a soldier; it was a glorious moment - but it wasn't the same symbol as being baptized. I don't even think anyone ever meant it to be anyway.
P.s.
I had a gidden agenda.
Welches is delicious and Communion is worth it if only for my monthly ration or not from concentrate concorde grape nectare.
(Amen-ay)
Justin
on further reflection i would just like to say that despite my way-too-long comment on the sacraments, i think that is probably the least important point on your list. so sorry about that. how foolish of me to forget about justice and love and compassion and service and all those other important things whilst getting caught up in the way-less-vital. so as for your other points... a) amen! and b) i think it's coming. i really do. the army is changing because people in it are changing and that is exciting. i get impatient waiting sometimes but i fall so far short of the army's mission myself, so i guess it is a learning thing. [i wonder who's getting impatient with me?]
"I have learnt to be merciful regarding The Army and its organizational systems, which sometimes require forgiveness from me. How do I manage that? I give my flag a solemn look and say, 'I forgive!'(thus heaping coals of fire on one or two unknowing heads!). In return, I hope to be forgiven too." -Colonel Andre Sterkx
p.s. i'm considering going into uniform [one day when i'm wealthy]. any thoughts?
Maybe I should read the top post first. . . but I have things on my mind.
Mara, I love you, and the way you think. And the comment about love, holiness etc being more important than the band etc, AMEN! Not that I don't also a good brass band/uniform conversation. . . but sometimes people miss the point.
And Fil, totally go into uniform! Not because of tradition. I take the bus to church in the morning and am in my uniform. I have had many God filled conversations from people who have approached me with questions or prayer requests - and despite what others say, that does not happen when I wear my Salvation Army logo tee. . .
Post a Comment