So here we are looking for a church. What are we looking for that we are calling the search for a church? Not to be Dr. Seuss, but I wonder if we are on the right path. We have been to two churches, both based or nominally about the same ideas. But one is tiny and seems to be struggling with some serious problems. One is larger, seems to have more going on, and has is sponsored by a church in the next larger city over. This does not change the changing culture and economy of this city. There is a lot of pain in this community.
What is my Master doing? Where is He at work, and where, in those places, is He inviting me and my family to join Him? If I and my family are seeking somewhere to be comfortable, we are on the wrong track. If we are looking for comfort and serenity, we are seeking selfishly, not centered on my Master. But what criteria do we use? Chambers makes an interesting point this morning. It is clear in Scripture that my Master is interested in reaching the entire human race, and that needs to be my interest as well. He is interested in my local community, and this local community certainly needs His power and love. So, as we seek a body of believers with whom to fellowship, the criteria needs to center around the interests of my Master, not our own; or better yet, we should modify our interests to match those of my Master.
Last night I spoke with, or rather listened to, one of my neighbors. He is leaving this city Monday. He was a teacher at the school where my daughter will start in the fall, and filled us in on the issues there. He was let go (a common practice in this state and county), and decided not to wait and see if he could find another position in the same county/district. He was not totally bitter, but he was also not seeing things from the perspective of my Master. My daughter was rather alarmed at his description, but he gave good advice. At this middle school (not high school) there are drugs, fights, disrespectful kids, and they seem to be abundant and easy to find. They seem to seek out new kids, making it hard for good kids to get passed them to other good kids; at least that was his take on it.
As my wife and I were talking to my daughter, we told her that was a lot like the middle schools we attended so many years ago. She was shocked. I remember walking passed a rail fence just outside the campus where the "druggies" and "potheads" hung out before school. I remember the fights and the constant struggling to come out on top and be tough. Most kids just observed it all from the outside, but some became embroiled in it seeking to be accepted by the "in" crowd. It was a waste of time really. This sounds very similar, except the scale may be larger, or a larger percentage of trouble among the student population. But the consistent thing will be the fear and pain covered by the wrong behavior, and the lack of accountability for these "bad" kids.
So, my family trains to be accountable, and trains to be an influence for my Master. We seek our Saviors' face daily to find the serenity others lack, so we can show them a difference. And when they come close, we hold them accountable, and point to our Master. I need a lot of training in this. I didn't really do that with the guy who talked my ear off last night, and I had opportunity too. So, for the remainder of the summer, we train and prepare, and come fall, we enter the fray.
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