Called out

While in the process of preparing my family for church this past Sunday morning I was, for lack of a better phrase, “Called out”. It was my loving wife who thought necessary to put me in my place.

As she entered the room, in which I sat, she declared a household “State of Emergency” and requested further assistance in the process.

You see, we start a shouting match of sorts just about the second we roll out of bed in the morning.

I parade through the house giving the official countdown to the precise moment in which we need to be leaving the driveway. Mind you an extra few minutes are always factored in for locking the door, actually making it to the car (a number of distractions can and do prolong this process when one is orchestrating a chorus of two and four year olds), and for the buckling in of the children. Usually a spare minute is also included for re-entry of the home in order to retrieve a forgotten item: possibly a bible, a few diapers, maybe a cherished baby doll or Spiderman action figure.

The countdown or shouting match includes “Ten minutes, Five minutes, Two minutes…we should have been in the car Two minutes ago, Five minutes ago, Ten minutes ago.” This has become such a routine that we in fact will over emphasis where we are in the process. “I’ve got the kids, I’ve the got the keys, I’m in the car”, when in fact we are not yet out of the shower.

All this said I hold additional habits in the morning which generally include the reading of a brief excerpt from some random source of literature. This was my position as Kaisha entered the room. I may have even yelled back through the hallway that we had only a few minutes left or that I was in the car; just before she found me seated, perusing a book.

“If you would stop reading and get out here and help, this would go a lot smoother.”
Kaisha pronounced.

Fantastic unbeknownst truth flew in and slapped my face broadside. (Figuratively of course; Kaisha in no way abused me this past Sunday)

How often do we get caught up in praying, meditating, reading, analyzing God and his Word. We may morph this process into small group settings of bible “Study” or "Corporate worship and prayer" and claim action or works since we include others in the process. (I in no way wish to examine these practices as incomplete or wrong. I, in fact, proclaim the deepening of spiritual growth, reasoning, and understanding as my forte which is found not only in logical and rational analysis but also in spiritual and emotional experience.)

BUT

What about real action? What about missional growth and service to our communities? What about evangelism? What would happen if we made time to stop reading and help a little? I believe the question as well as the answer is found in the above story. This Kingdom of God - would go a lot smoother.

We are charged to cloth the poor and feed the hungry.

“Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do the same." Luke 3:11

We are commanded to share the gospel to the world.

“Go into the entire world and preach the good news to all creation.” Mark 16:15

There is much righteousness to be found in the pursuit of holiness and prayerful mediation of the scriptures, but there also is great faith to be found and given, in the carrying out of the practical works shown to us by Jesus. Take a moment to read (and I do ask for a stay on the irony here) any one of the gospels and you will see that Jesus was a man of action. He knew the scriptures and he spent time in prayer, but his actions seem to get the most acclaim.

Somehow we are to change our pattern of simple holy living and bring Christ to the streets. We need to not only bring people to church but we need to take the Church to people.