The Ever Emergent Church

Some people talk about the movement called “Emergent Church” but I am growing to resent that title a bit. You see, in my way of thinking, the church has always been emergent, being reborn and reshaped to work in the culture thrust upon it since 2000 years ago when Jesus said to Peter, “Upon this rock.”

Emergent means that it is unfolding, being unveiled a little at the time – and that seems to be God’s secret formula. And the real secret in the secret formula is that nobody knows the full story. Only God. Even Jesus said he didn’t know the details about how the kingdom of heaven would finally come about.

What’s true is that we live in between times, and that in between these times the light is shed slowly on the path before us. I'll be "emergent pastor" for a moment and tell a story about what I mean.

Growing up in southeastern North Carolina, I lived across a cornfield from my cousin, Brian. One night I was sent by my father to Brian's house on an errand. I was walking the corn field on a new moon in November with a kerosene lantern (yes, I really had a lantern for camping, and besides, what 10 year old boy doesn't like to play with fire and fuel?).

It was a completely dark night, the clouds snuffing out all the stars. For you city folk who have never seen full darkness, you need to know that a cloudy night on a new moon is so dark that you can't see your hand in front of your face. Friends, it's so dark you couldn't scratch your...ok, that's a little too genuine for this blog. The point is that was terrifyingly dark.

That walk was scary, I tell you. There was no beam of a flash light to shine way out ahead, only the radiant glow of the lantern that would iluminate about four feet in front of me and that was all. Slowly the path opened up for me, but only as I moved forward. I imagine today what I looked like that night from my cousin's porch, a soft circle of emergent light, slow and steady moving forward to light my little corn field world.

That seems to me to be the way the church moves through time. A journey that is in some generations sometimes plodding and plotting; in other generations it is erratic and radical reform. Nadirs and wagon ruts, she still moves forward, emerging, emergent. There has never been a time when the church wasn't "emergent."

So, to my friends and colleagues who are on the razor sharp front of "where" the church is headed next, please redefine things carefully and choose your terms and labels with equal caution. The church as "emergent" is not new, she is doing as she always has.

All that Junk in my Trunk

I have to rant. I seldom do this, so grant me this one moment.

I publicly criticize stores like Lifeway because they market so many Christian trinkets. I thought/hoped that some of the postmodern/emergent Christians might be feeling the same way, sick and tired of the crap that marketers try to pawn off on us in the name of Jesus.

Check that ideal at the door, though. I just leafed through the latest issue of Relevant magazine, a publication I’ve enjoyed in times past. Maybe the magazine has always been like this, but for some reason this week it really struck me how commercial and “hip” the Christian faith is presented on those glossy full-bleed pages.

The issue is more ads than content and the content that’s there is poor. Most of the writing is so overwrought as to be exhausting and the 20-something expression of Christianity on the pieces seems a lot of fluff, not to mention more than a little pretentious – and a little bit of that goes a long way. Even the interview with Anne Lamott was disappointing (sorry, Anne, love your books – love it, love it, love it – but you came off flip and scattered).

And then there are the products being advertised. The message on the products is anti-consumerism, pro-orphans, live like Jesus, and so forth. All good ideas, but still I’m being asked to buy CD’s, t-shirts, attend music festivals, and buy Christian-designed art and blue jeans. The product and advertising contradict the message. Someone is profiting from competing interests and the suffering of orphans ought not be putting funds in somebody’s pocket.

I believe in Christianity being relevant. Connecting Christ to culture is good. Helping Christians see Christ in culture is great. No problem there at all, but it seems to me that Relevant has missed the point that relevance is not a tool, a raison d’etre, or a goal. Sorry to the gang at Relevant, I don’t see any difference between you and your publishing predecessors from modernity.

In all fairness to the gang there, there may not be a postmodern philosophy in your goal to be relevant, so I tread carefully in my waters of assumption. Plainly, there is no deconstruction of faith, just a slick new way of pushing the same products as those who brought us CCM and all that Jesus junk.

Whatcha gonna do with all that junk, all that junk down in my trunk?

See, I’m relevant.

The batter swings and the summer flies

– from the pop song The Riddle

Sports enthusiasts are mourning the tragic deaths of two coaches. Thirty-five year old Mike Coolbaugh died after being struck in the neck by a foul ball while coaching first base for the Tulsa Driller’s, a minor league baseball team. Skip Prosser, the 56 year old head coach of the Wake Forest University men’s basketball team died in his office yesterday, apparently of a heart attack.

I don’t want to offer commentary on the safety of baseball or the stress of a division I NCAA coaching job. Plenty of pundits will do that. Today I am simply reflecting on things in light of my faith.

First, both of these guys were doing something they loved. Coolbaugh floated around the minors for a decade and only played 37 games in the “big show” of Major League Baseball. When he died he was a hitting coach for a minor league team in Oklahoma, and while I’m no expert on coaches’ paychecks, I have a sneaking suspicion that he was not in the same pay grade as Barry Bonds and the boys. Yet there he was, his last day of life on earth – doing what he loved. The same is true for Skip Prosser, he died doing what he loved.

Second, we know what they loved doing. We are clear on their priorities in life. One of Prosser’s players was quoted saying, “It's tough for me right now. I can't explain it. Here today, gone tomorrow. The one thing about Coach Prosser is that he cared about his players — and would do anything for us." Similar quotes abound for Coolbaugh. These guys loved the game and saw coaching as a way of pouring themselves into others’ lives.

Third, we know that time that matters is in short supply. It’s an unpleasant reality, but death is inevitable. How will I prioritize and spend my one and only life?

It reminds me of the story about the rich young man who came to Jesus asking, “What good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?” Stay with me and you’ll see why.

A conversation ensued about following the commandments wherein the young man claimed he kept all the important ones. So then Jesus said he should go and sell all his possessions and give to the poor, and then spend his time following Jesus. You might guess that the young man walked away saddened because he didn’t want to give up his great wealth.

Some interpret this as a story about money and possessions. I read it beside these coaches’ deaths as a story about priorities. Jesus was asking the rich young ruler to make following him the top priority in his life – beyond his wealth and beyond the commandments of Judaism.

First

Numero uno

The “main thing”

I don’t know if Prosser or Coolbaugh were men of faith but I do know what their priorities were. The haunting question for this pilgrim is, “If I died today, would people know clearly what my life priorities were?” Will they know that I tried hard to follow Jesus, love my family, and serve the world?

Sudden deaths, as well as encounters with Jesus can:

• bring our priorities into focus,
• help us admit that we do have a list of priorities, and
• confess that sometimes those priorities get out of whack.
  

We’ll talk more about life priorities by looking at this rich young ruler in worship on Sunday at Willow Meadows Baptist Church. If you are in town please make worship attendance a priority in your life and join us at 9am or 11:10am.

See you Sunday,
Pastor Gary

Not a Sermon – Just a Thought is a weekly email from me, Gary Long. I’m the pastor at Willow Meadows Baptist Church, on the web at www.wmbc.org.


Matthew 19.16-30 New International Version

The Rich Young Man
16Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

17"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."

18"Which ones?" the man inquired.

Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother,'[d] and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'[e]"

20"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"

21Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"

26Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

27Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"

28Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother[f] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

The Best Day of My Whole Life

At Ocean Isle Beach, NC the week of July 4th my father and I rolled out his old fishing boat. It's about 13 feet long and has been in the family since I was a teenager. That makes it, ummm, something more than 20 years old.

It has a smoking motor, a crack in the inside hull lining, and a plywood motor-mount. She's a good little craft with "men" and "ladies" stickers on either side of the stern, but honestly she's seen better days.

But with The Younger Sister and the Brother on board, you would have thought we were on the QE II. They loved the boat ride down the intracosatal waterway and they didn't even notice the big luxury fishing and ski boats flying by and leaving us bobbing in their wake.

Kids are that way.

They don't seem concerned with the things upon which we grown ups fixate. A simple boat, a beautiful sunny day, people you love, and the salt and sand there for the enjoyment. It was all about the thrill of being on the water with their dad and their "pa" and the possibility of catching fish for dinner.

It was in the midst of learning how to cast her rod that the Younger Sister taught me a thing or two about life. She looked up at me with those big browns and said, "Dad, this is the best day of my whole life."

We didn't catch any fish big enough for dinner, but I got the message from God. For one moment in time I was without doubt that I have netted the best catch in life in that one moment, brilliant and shining and radiant.

I believe and pray that all three of my kids will have more "best day of my whole life" type days, but I sure hope the Youngest Sister always remembers this one. I know I will.

Preaching Gig

I'm preaching at a cool church on Sunday night. My church will worship with City of Refuge, pastored by my friend Rev. Rufus Smith. Hope you'll investigate this innovative multi-cultural church at www.cityofrefuge.org. We'll gather at 6pm, if you're in Houston, please join us!

You Say It Yahweh, I'll Say it Mine

I'm stunned. I just got the news that Doug Marlette, the creator of Kudzu was killed in a car wreck yesterday while on his way to help out with a high school production of a musical based on his cartoon strip.

Marlette's cartoons were brilliant. They were warm with humor and affection for human life and they were seasoned with his genious satire. The affable "Reverend Will B. Dunn" tried his best to show us the higher road, but didn't always pull it off too well - an accurate depiction of the church.

I've been a fan of the cartoon for ages, and about two years ago my dad gave me an autographed copy of his novel The Bridge. That novel meant a great deal to me, not just because it was a gift from my dad, but because I identified deeply with the character's chase for family history. I particularly liked the way Marlette painted the South in his cartoons and his books. It was pointed and sometimes painful, but it was also true and beautiful at the same time.

My favorite strip was a Sunday edition where Rev. Will B. Dunn (allegedly based on Will Campbell and James Dunn) was preaching and naming the names of God according to the great theologians:

Mysterium Tremendum
"Unmoved Mover"
"Ground of all Being"

and then his closing line, "But you say it Yahweh, and I'll say it mine."

May God rest your satirical soul, Doug. You said it your way.

The Poison is Working

My friend Tommy says that coming back to work after a good vacation is like taking a poison back into your body. Your body fights it, but it's too strong - eventually you succumb and the poison takes over until you're numb and go mindless back to the work at hand.

Today, the poison is working. Back to the grind.

Everybody's Got a Hungry Heart

Written July 4, 2007

I was alone watching the charcoal burn down enough to grill the steaks here on vacation last night. I watched a kid of probably 13 or 14 ride his bike around the circle of beach houses something like 12 times in a 6 minute period. He scanned all the houses, watching the various people and he looked lonesome. What was he looking for? Company? Friendship? Someone to ride along? Someone to stop and talk to?

I've seen the same kid several times already this week doing the same thing. Lonesome and restless he was looking for someone to hang out with, something new, something exciting, so he pedaled on. Everybody’s like that in some way, especially the restless ones – always looking for the next thing, the next friendship, the next thing to conquer, the next possession to obtain.

There’s little contentedness in life for a restless person, and this kid’s got it bad. Riding that bike around the circle of beach houses, he looked like some adults I’ve seen going around the big circle. Always pedaling harder and harder – if they just go around the circle one more time they’ll find something new, something exciting, something to satisfy that hungry heart.

Only thing is, kid, that’s an illusion. What little satisfaction for the hungry heart exists is elusive, so you just keep riding around the circle until you realize it’s not on this block. So you move on to the next circle of little houses. And when you conquer that one you realize there’s no satisfaction there, so you move on to the next one. You find bigger circles to pedal around madly until, if you're lucky, you realize that no loop is going to satisfy the hunger.

You might expect the preacher to talk about the satisfaction that God brings. You might expect me to talk about the “peace that surpasses all understanding.” You might expect me to quote Augustine with, “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.”

But not today. Today I’m content to sing along with Bruce and just be a hungry heart with that kid.

Lay down your money and you play your part, everybody’s got a hungry heart.

This past Sunday at Willow Meadows Baptist Church we had a great preacher, Brent Walker, from the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC). If you were there, you know how well Brent helped us see the tensions of piety and patriotism in America today as well as the importance of religious liberty.

I have long believed that religious liberty is the first and greatest freedom we Americans have and because of that belief, I have been a long time supporter of the Baptist Joint Committee – an organization that works hard on behalf of Baptists around the world to defend and preserve our religious freedoms.

So here is the request: Please make a pledge to the BJC this week.

Here’s why it’s important to do it this week. On Friday, June 29, Babs Baugh of Texas announced a $500,000 gift to the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. Why? To help build a Center for Religious Liberty in Washington, D. C., a critical project launched by the BJC. Then, Babs announced another piece of stellar news: The Baugh Family will match every dollar pledged or given to the BJC for the Center by July 15.

Today is July 10. You and I have only 5 days to double our money for religious liberty! A simple twenty five dollars becomes fifty, and a million dollars pledged becomes two million!

The cause is not just for Baptists – it is for anyone who believes that religious liberty is precious and would like to see it preserved. You who know me and my preaching know that I seldom ask for money unless I think it’s important. This cause is definitely important. Do it for your children and grandchildren so that may also worship freely in this great nation.

Contact Brent Walker today, and give him your pledge amount. His phone number is 202.544.4226. His email is bwalker@bjconline.org. You can also contact me, if you have any questions or would feel more comfortable in discussing the matter with me personally at glong@wmbc.org or 713723-2870.

Ahhh, the salt breeze

The Longs have just finished up a week of travel from Houston to Atlanta to Southern Virginia to Northern Virginia to Washington, DC to Ocean Isle Beach, NC. We've visited two church families we've served before WMBC and I attended the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship annual gathering.

Lot's has happened, so I'll be posting much in the next week. For now we are all glad to just "be" on vacation.

Tomorrow is my first shabbot in a long while, so I'm planning to worship in the Big Room with the sand between my toes while the surf teases and "ebbs" me on. I come to the sea needy in my soul and empty in my imaginative resevoirs. Thus, Psalm 69:

33 The LORD hears the needy
and does not despise his captive people.

34 Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that move in them.

See you around the dunes.