Lord God Almighty, I praise you for stepping into my life, opening my eyes, and bringing me new life in Jesus Christ my Savior. I was adrift, without hope, and without God in this world. Yet, you became my heavenly Father, the One who intervened and brought love and grace to me and grafted me into your church, bringing to me relationships that spurred me on to love and good deeds. Not only did you, Holy Spirit, come alongside me and teach me your ways, but you brought me spiritual fathers to help nurture me in the truth of your Word.
I was a clown, a really weird kid when I became a freshman in college. There was one, however, who saw through all the craziness, who looked and believed there was much more there than a good laugh. Tom could see a heart that loved God, and potential in loving people that no one else did. Now, my spiritual father, my friend, my mentor of nearly thirty years is gone. In the flicker of a moment he was taken, like Elijah in the chariot of fire with Elisha looking on. I am lost, with the encourager of my soul snuffed out in an instant like some common sinner. Where is the justice in this? How does this bring glory to your name, O Lord? To whom shall I pour out my complaint over this travesty? Who will now give me the encouragement and direction that a disciple needs? Having touched perhaps thousands of lives, a man of God has been taken, and I am without my spiritual father.
Yet, in the pain of this deep wound, I confess my trust in you, my heavenly Father, who transcends all earthly relationships and extends grace for the moment. Despite the loss on earth, heaven just got a lot more fun with Tom now in the presence of the cosmic host. Your providence, blessed triune God, will prevail; your plans and purposes shall be fulfilled. Although I cannot see the reason for the death of a saint, I will live my life by faith in the Son of God who gave his life for me. Just as Jesus died and gave his life for many, so may Tom’s passing impact lives for years to come. People need the Lord, and may this event usher hundreds into the kingdom of God.
God Almighty, help me to take up the mantle of Tom’s ministry of grace and love, and do what he did. Let the Word of God dwell richly in me that the boldness and confidence of a life lived in Jesus might bring new disciples and fresh converts to your church. Give me, God, a portion of Tom’s spirit; grant to me a piece of his life that I might teach others and pass on what was given to me. Let me be a father to the fatherless, and may my spiritual children increase. And, may my girls live to serve you as Tom’s family has given their lives to you.
You are the God who hears, and I place my hope in you, my Father. I praise you, O God, for you have turned my mourning into joy, my despair into gladness, and my weakness into strength. May you be glorified forever and ever. Amen.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The Church is My Mother
Is church essential to your life? Statistics continue to pour out from groups on how nearly two-thirds of college students simply drop out of church between ages 18-24. This does not necessarily mean that young adults are losing their faith; they simply do not view church as vital to their lives, and so with the pressures and deadlines of school, making church part of the fabric of a student's life becomes optional. A student, instead, may rely on intermittent personal devotions, community through existing networks of friends on campus, and connecting with others through technology rather than face to face meetings and encounters.
The issue here is not one of church attendance; it is the reality that a whole generation of young people are choosing to put themselves outside of the means of grace given by God for their own benefit and spiritual formation. There is a profound lack of understanding concerning the nature of the church, as well as a paucity of significant relationships between college students and the rest of the Body of Christ. Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her so that she might become pure and holy, and become one with Jesus in practicality, as she is in reality through the cross (Ephesians 5:26-27). The church is God's ordained means of bringing growth in grace to any person's life; to neglect her like ignoring your mother.
Like a mother caring for her children, the church is to be a nurturing community for the exercise and development of faith and perseverance. Without her, the believer is at risk of being like an orphan, cut-off from the life-giving Spirit of God who uses the Word of God in preaching and sacrament to edify and feed. John Calvin has put this in rather vivid terms:
The issue here is not one of church attendance; it is the reality that a whole generation of young people are choosing to put themselves outside of the means of grace given by God for their own benefit and spiritual formation. There is a profound lack of understanding concerning the nature of the church, as well as a paucity of significant relationships between college students and the rest of the Body of Christ. Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her so that she might become pure and holy, and become one with Jesus in practicality, as she is in reality through the cross (Ephesians 5:26-27). The church is God's ordained means of bringing growth in grace to any person's life; to neglect her like ignoring your mother.
Like a mother caring for her children, the church is to be a nurturing community for the exercise and development of faith and perseverance. Without her, the believer is at risk of being like an orphan, cut-off from the life-giving Spirit of God who uses the Word of God in preaching and sacrament to edify and feed. John Calvin has put this in rather vivid terms:
“For there is no other way to enter into life unless this mother (the Church) conceive us in her womb, give us birth, nourish us at her breast, and lastly, unless she keep us under her care and guidance until, putting off mortal flesh, we become like angels. Our weakness does not allow us to be dismissed from her school until we have been pupils all our lives. Furthermore, away from her bosom one cannot hope for any forgiveness of sins or any salvation… it is always disastrous to leave the church.”
College students need to both experience and recover what it means to be the church. Church leaders need to think in terms of grace and nurture with ministry to those students. The goal is not simply to get young adults to stay or come to a church service; the purpose of ministry to college-age persons is to enfold and engraft them into the life of a local body of believers in relationships and ministry so that they might grow in faith and use the means of grace that is available to them. This formative experience in the college years provides a foundation for a lifetime of walking with God and steels them for the years ahead in their engagement with the world. So, how do you view "church"? What adjustments to your life must you make in order to experience the grace God has for you through his Body?
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