Dear All of Us,
We all get stuck.
What a bother!
We often have to back up
to find a way forward.
It's
BACK TO THE FUTURE
and that's a lot more than
a science fiction flick.
It's a fact of life.
The church is stuck.
Many leave.
Few come.
Church is disparaged,
seen as inauthentic -
says one thing
and isn't what it says.
Time to go back
to go future,
back to Jesus:
"A new command
I give you:
Love one another.
As I have loved you,
so you must love
one another.
By this will
all people know
you are my disciples,
if you love one another."
John 13:34-35
Let's be real here.
The question
has finally
been called
on the church
as we have it.
It does good.
There are
authentic churches
here and there.
Overall, though,
the established church
sadly shorts
real deal
Gospel
community
and living.
It is more organization
and real estate than
"The Followers of the Way"
(what church was first called).
We really need
to test ourselves
by the standard
and measure
of Jesus
shared above.
In big churches
people don't even
know each other,
much less
love each other.
In small churches
people may know
each other,
but how profoundly
do they love each other?
Most churches are not
communal hot beds of
people loving each other
Jesus Style.
In a time
of turmoil and trouble,
of bunker-like separatism,
of disappointment
of skepticism,
of psychic isolation,
of Untruth Social,
people don't want
more of less.
What has been
needs to be
what can be.
Jesus did not put together
a big organization.
He invited life together
in the Kin-Domain of God,
Community.
Community cannot happen
in a crowd.
As we back up
to the early church
to find a future church,
we see small communities
of faith sharing,
of fellowship,
of taking care of each other,
of service beyond themselves,
of sharing meal, means and more,
of prayer, scripture, sacrament, worship
of communion widening on outward.
Those first communities
were not perfect,
but they were real
and they were
Gospel Ernest,
Community Committed.
Church leaders today
don't get it.
They are trying
to pump up
a frayed flat tire.
It's futile and finished.
Marketing,
analytics,
snappy worship,
"reorganizing for impact,"
are feverishly
rearranging deck chairs
on their sinking Titanic.
They don't come close
to need.
Coming close together
in for real, close,
small communities
committed to giving
The Beatitudes and
The Sermon on the Mount
- all Jesus shared -
an honest, sweaty go,
is the way to go.
We need to let go
over-organization,
and size-mania.
The urgent call
in our right now
is for:
committing to
simple, vigorous,
close knit, loving,
sharing, serving
community.
Many sincere seekers
find that the
established church
is not where to find
Jesus Lived
Pray God we will let God
change that by changing us.
Between here and there,
small groups,
intentional and committed,
are a start.
John Wesley points
the way to a
faith forward future -
"Ecclesiolae in Ecclsia" -
Lots of little churches in
the Larger Church.
We don't go to church.
we are the church.
Church isn't a place.
Church is Spirit Life Shared
and that intensely, personally,
and practically so.
John Wesley clarified
Our What:
"Give them Christ."
Thich Nhat Hanh's advice
helps us understand
Our How:
"At Plum Village
we don't teach peace.
We share peace."
The church's "stuck"
is a blessed stop.
A chance to go
BACK TO THE FUTURE
"By this will all people know
you are my disciples,
if you love one another."
Jesus
******
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May 15, 2924
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MAY 17, 2024
******
Heart Full Thanks
to all who have
mother nurtured us.
You are life giving.
We are so grateful!
******
This week large groups
of new folks from
Columbia
and the
USA
joined in with us.
Great to be together!
WELCOME
to you and all here at
frankly speaking
spirituality for the street
johnfrankshares.blogspot.com
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The ancient
Jewish historian,
Josephus,
reported the saying
of his contemporaries
about the early
church communities;
"See how
they love
one another."
May such be said of us.
May we be famous for our
Christ Love Lived
Together
in
Community
Love to all,
John Frank
******
