Containers of No Glory

Just a brief thought on the "God in a box" cliche...

"You mistakenly think we conceal what we worship since we have no temples or altars. Yet how can anyone make an image of God? Man himself is the image of God. How can anyone build a temple to Him, when the whole world can't contain Him? Even I, a mere human, travel far and wide. So how can anyone shut up the majesty of so great a Person within one small building? Isn't it better for Him to be dedicated in our minds and consecrated in our innermost hearts - rather than in a building?" Mark Felix in Octavius 2nd Century A.D.

You've seen the buildings built to contain the majesty of a person... palaces, castles, etc. And yet, they do not contain it, because said persons are still able to travel far and wide. If a King can choose to leave, or abandon completely, his opulent domicile, then it will never contain his majesty.

Some monarchs (most notably princesses) are kept inside their fortresses, unable to venture out, or move out, of their own accord. They are in effect imprisoned, and thus their majesty is stifled.

As Mark Felix said, if even a human cannot simultaneously have majesty and confinement, how much less can the King of kings? He has twice contained Himself... once in the Temple in Jerusalem, and once in the body of a Nazarene. By doing so He temporarily reduced His glory, but permanently increased it all the more, for our sake and for His own.

Shame on us when we think that God has called us to contain His glory in a temple, or a denomination, or a book, or a doctrine. Even the Bible, the greatest artifact of His glory that we have, pales in comparison to His true reality. Let Him then be "dedicated in our minds and consecrated in our innermost hearts..." for that is why He destroyed the Temple of stone and rebuilt it out of flesh.

Choose Your Own Adventure

"Hey girly-girl, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

"Hm....."





"You're just gonna sit there until I spill my guts, aren't you?"

"Well, Jana! Why would I..."

"Because you love me."



"Guilty."



"Oh, Mom... I don't feel like I have any friends at school."

"What do you want friends for?"

"What? Are you serious?"

"Well, yes, the obvious reasons. But why else do you want them?"

"Gr. ok... you tell me all the time how I should try to influence the other kids at school, but I don't think anybody even listens to me, except Shayna, but she's already a good influence. What am I supposed to do?"

"You really wanna know? Or you just want your mommy to give you a big hug and a hot cocoa?"

"No... I really wanna know."

"Ok, then. I'll tell you exactly what you need..."

Turn to page 89 if you think mom should say:
What you really need is a brand-new wardrobe! Look at these outdated clothes... tsk, tsk. And your hair is soooo 2003. In fact, your father and I have been saving up for a nosejob for you, too. Also... here's a $5000 gift certificate to Best Buy. Don't be stupid with it though... Make sure you buy cd's for the absolute hippest bands, the latest I-pod, and the most powerful laptop. Then when you're done we'll work on your walk..."

Turn to page 126 if you think mom should say:
You need to get involved, you know, in clubs and activities where you can meet a lot of new people. Introduce yourself to everyone, and then remember their names. Don't be afraid to ask for help, but help other kids out twice as much. Find the good in people and tell them about it. When someone is talking to you, pretend like they're the only other person in the room, and wait till they're done to think of a response. Smile a lot, but don't force happiness on yourself or anyone. Take an interest in what people are doing, and try it yourself. Remember, when you like people for who they are, chances are they'll return the favor...

Now, dear blog reader... it's time to Choose Your Own Adventure. Pick a response, and you write the rest of the story. (Remember to read my initial blog post for reference.)

Original Post - The Core vs. The Edge

Ding! Round one.

In this corner… The Edge, a.k.a. “Cutting Edge” weighing in at a whopping 450 pounds of cultural relevancy, hipness, and savoir faire, just coming off a mighty defeat of Madman Modernism with his teeth set for victory once again. Looking to draw from his vast arsenal of tactics with flash and with verve, you can expect to witness mind-blowing graphics, sound and video, hard-to-forget soundbytes, and a feel good message that sticks to the ribs. Look out folks, this fish will be hard to hook!

And in this corner… The Core, weighing in at an unimpressive 140 pounds of historical perspective, relational firepower and supernatural love. He doesn’t look like much, kiddos, but beware! His aim is impeccable and he’ll hit you right where it hurts!

OK… you’ve got a picture in your head by now. What is it? You may be tempted to see Church vs. Church. It’s a pretty good fit.

But look around you. If you had to describe this whole culture with two words, wouldn’t “The Edge” be a pretty good choice?

Who’s gonna make a buck with blasé? If the last movie was gross, this one has to be grosser. If the last car was fast, this one has to be faster. You get the point. It’s a universal game of one-upmanship that’s spiraled out of control.

And on more than one occasion, the Church has followed. She’s lost all track of what’s at the Core of it all: Relationship. Sacrificial love. Christ.

How do we bring her back? Not by putting on the boxing gloves and coming to blows with each other. For we battle not against flesh and blood. We battle The Edge itself; the power of the air that lures us further and further from the Core of life.

Like peeling an onion, there is layer after tear-jerking layer that must be peeled away to find ourselves again at the center. To find our purpose and our passion. But it has to be done.

This blog is not a showcase for sanctimonious ramblings. It’s a conversation. So tell me… when you look at the Core of life, what do you see? When you look at the layers around it, what does it make you think? Are we too far gone?

Due to technical difficulties, the first 8 responses to this post were cut and pasted into the text of this post.

The Reacher says:

Welcome. I promise no blows below the belt. Mmmmwwaaaaahhaahhhaaahhaaaaa

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Posted by Reacher to The Core at 12/16/2005 06:15:56 PM


The Coreman says:

Reacher, it is a privilege to consider you my first-responder.

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Posted by The Coreman to The Core at 12/16/2005 11:48:22 PM

Beloved says:

Are you saying that using things we enjoy, such as modern rock music, an artistic atmosphere, state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, etc. to express our God-given interests and desires are to be downplayed? Or are you saying that God didn't give Christians those desires, but rather that "the world" did? The former would seem to lead down a slippery slope to the banishing of all things modern. And how do you make a just case for the latter? Or are you saying either of those things?

In the spirit of Christmas, i find it appropriate to note that Jesus did not come to this world in "glory" but in humility. Not only that, but He lived humbly throughout His life and died the most humiliating death possible. In light of Jesus' example, how do we reconcile the Western/European models of church that have prevailed for over a millenium?

If we can't reconcile them, what does that say about the "modern worship movement" and their leaders (namely, the musicians/ worship leaders who write, record and distribute the music)? Is it even possible that they are doing God's will? If so, then it follows that a big band playing to a large audience in a corporate worship context CAN (although they certainly don't always) play a part in the will of God. If not, then all such endeavors are mere hyped-up emotional experiences, and do not bring glory to God, but instead distract from His glory.
So which of these is the case?

Please don't skirt the issue. Tackle it head on. Knock it out, baby!

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Posted by Beloved to The Core at 12/19/2005 11:09:25 AM

d_a_c_c_m_v says:

Without this "Edge" one would not be able to post on this blog or visit your nice website. The idea of a "culturally relevant culture" is just that. Culture is relevant. If it was not it would be history; especially here in the USA. We do away with ideas, beliefs, and things that are not relevant. When is the last time you bought a new black and white TV? It is irrelevant.
With this said one needs to speak about a “culturally relevant church". In today's USA we must be able to give the Message of Christ in a form that non-Christians can relate to. We should not change the Gospel-that is perfect-it does not need to be changed. We must change the form in which we present it-remember-to a "culture relevant culture". In this, I do see some churches following in the path of "cultural relevance" and forsaking the Core of their beliefs-as you said- Relationship, Sacrificial love, and Christ-but this has been done way before our “advancements” in technology. This is not the danger of the majority of the churches though (especially the ones you frequent- at least of late)-most churches seem to be "culturally relevant" and stick to the Core beliefs. In this, where would you say that the church has forsaken its Core beliefs? It is absolutely acceptable for the secular "culture" to be "culturally relevant" (eg. gross movies to grosser movies); this is expected. The church on the other hand needs to reach these people who are so engrossed in this "culturally relevant culture"; and sometimes that does take a little flash or boom (The Passion or Narnia)-and that is okay-God has allowed us to use these advancements in technology for His Glory.
The fight is not with the new technology, etc. It is not with the other churches. It is with “the power of the air”-as stated. We must be careful to pick the right battles-although churches use technology and such (in a struggle to maintain a sort of “cultural relevance”)-it does not mean they have forsaken the Core beliefs. A church that does not use the technology (cultural relevance) may be guiltier of forsaking the Core beliefs than the latter. Only God knows.
So tell me… when you look at the Core of life, what do you see? I see Christ who is able to work through anything. When you look at the layers around it, what does it make you think? The layers are not a problem-Christ can pierce those-immediately-not layer by layer. Are we too far gone? No-too far for Whom…

My prayers are with you. Thank you for all the work you have done. God bless.

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Posted by d_a_c_c_m_v to The Core at 12/19/2005 04:00:38 PM

The Coreman says:

daccmv--

Do you know me? You speak of me as if you know me. Just curious. E-mail me.

As far as your comments... very thought-provoking. I love playing around in my head with the words "culturally relevant culture." It's redundant, but it still has meaning.

What springs to my mind is those flashy graphics on consumer products with the word "NEW!" We all know why they do that. Because in our culture, newer is better. And that, to me, embodies the meaning of "culturally relevant culture." A mindset that does not question the merit of a technological or philosophical advance--if it's new, it's progress. It it's progress, it's good.

And this is what the "emerging church" can so easily latch onto if it's not careful. Shoot... if I'm running a church and we happen to have members who are professional video editors and professional songwriters and professional musicians and actors and decorators and graphic designers and webmasters... sure! Let them worship God with their respective crafts. But when we let our focus drift from love and relationship onto creating a mind-blowing "God" experience, we have failed twice. We have failed the people for treating their symptoms instead of their diseases, and we have failed God for pretending that we can do His job better than He can.

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Posted by The Coreman to The Core at 12/19/2005 04:43:21 PM

Beloved says:

In other words, pushing the edge for the sake of being "on the edge", is not only a mistaken priority... it will only result in those churches looking sillier than they already do (maybe they didn't look silly to begin with).

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Posted by Beloved to The Core at 12/19/2005 05:08:29 PM

Anonymous says:

I'm just looking for a church that isn't satisfied with itself and is willing to take off the masks and just be people looking up to God, doing whatever they see to do.

That will come across differently from congregation to congregation, and mistakes will be made, but God will be glorified.

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Posted by Anonymous to The Core at 12/20/2005 02:16:38 PM

Beloved says:

Look no more.

If you haven't scoped out the website yet (Vision, Values, etc.), i'd suggest doing so. See if it sounds like the kind of church you're talking about.

Grace.

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Posted by Beloved to The Core at 12/20/2005 02:19:21 PM

Beloved says:

There are many parallels which can and should be made between the Israelites--the people of God--and the Church--the people of God. The most fundamental one is this: God has [always] called us to be holy, wholly His, set apart, a unique people who transcend and even stand against the prevailing cultures and powers of the day. In other words, He has called us to always be countercultural.

To worry about relevance is a complete waste of time and mental energy. Relevance "just happens" when we are who we are. It's not something we have to scheme up or work at. Frankly, the gospel isn't very "relevant" to the culture around us. The gospel calls people to abandon ALL other allegiances to devote oneself to ONE person, ONE call, ONE goal: the person and the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Does that mean that we seclude ourselves from society and form a commune out in the country? Maybe. But probably not, since that would put a serious damper on evangelism! What it does mean is that we are a peculiar people (the Bible even describes us as such) wherever we happen to find ourselves. The goal is not to blend in but rather to stand out like a sore thumb.

But wouldn't that cause us to be shunned by family, friends, coworkers (fellow "Christians")? Wouldn't it upset people? Wouldn't they think we are closed-minded and overly dogmatic? Most certainly. If no one thinks that of us, or if they think it for the wrong reason, then we have missed out on the kingdom of God.

I realize there are a lot of "buts" and "what abouts" regarding this issue. But what it comes down to is not "how do we make it happen?" but whether you believe God. Do you trust His commands for us? Do you trust that He knows what is best for His bride and His kingdom? Do you trust that His plan and His vision is perfect? If the answer is "Yes", then take heed to the countercultural nature of the Church. If you don't believe that is the message God has for us, don't whine about here until you've explored and wrestled with His word regarding the matter.

Arguing for the sake of argument is worthless. Seeking the guidance and revelation of the Holy Spirit for the edification of the Body of Christ and the advancement of the kingdom of God... now that's something worthy of our conversation.

Blessings.

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Posted by Beloved to The Core at 12/20/2005 04:06:21 PM