Towards the end of last year I sat down and wrote four posts on the Lord's Day....under the heading....Do You Want Practical. They...along with the following....including a preface.....are still back there if you are interested....but this....Part Four....as I labelled it seems to summarize them well enough....so I'll use it here as....Personal Trainer....Session Four....because we in the church at least need to confront this issue where whichever side might be correct on the Fourth Commandment....how we view and live Sundays today is fundamentally absurd....where to use an unbiblical phrase....but a phrase that conveys the thought....would even have John Calvin rolling over in his grave.
Preface: I did not plan on four consecutive posts on the topic of the Lord's Day. I just kept adding my thoughts for four straight days. The bottom line is that we were worried that we would abuse the Fourth Commandment....so we thought that we would keep the commandment in the Ten Commandments....on paper....but really gut it of its importance. It required a little bit of fancy theological wordplay...and really never did make much sense. So it was the last thing we would want to talk about....because we knew that we didn't have a good argument. It worked for a while....but the culture kept adding sports and entertainments to the day....and the time for God kept getting smaller and smaller. It had been among other things a hedge of protection....where we could clear our minds of the world....and thus God would give us much needed discernment....but we cut that hedge down.....and lost the protection.....and America is today....well....you know what it is today. So in effect....it's not just the bad liberals that ruined our country....which we like to claim....but we contributed to it also. We now piously say all the time....'God bless America'.....but there is no way we are giving up our day of family fun and entertainments. There's got to be a Plan B!
You will either agree that what I am about to describe is pretty accurate....or you won't. It's a little bit of a hassle....what with three young kids....but you make it into church on time. You smile and share stories with four or five friends as you settle into the pew. The sanctuary is full of laughter. The pastor makes his way to the pulpit which is a signal to begin to quiet down. He smiles broadly....the congregation sings a few hymns....maybe droning worship songs.....and the pastor then gives a sermon that could easily have been written down in a small pamphlet and distributed. There is no power in the worship service....nothing said where you could not read the passage of scripture and determine the meaning for yourself. You won't even remember the sermon topic after a few hours. The laughter is even louder on the way out....and you look at your watch as you head for the car....for there is a big family day ahead.....a blessing from God you tell yourself....even though the world crumbles....and violence continues to rattle the American psyche.
The family gathering is at your house this week. You change into your picnic clothes in record time....turn on all the pertinent stoves and grills.....put all the drinks in the ice cooler....and get everything done just as your brother or your sister and their families show up....and now it is pure pandemonium for the rest of the day....as the bean bags are thrown....and if you are really affluent....the pool is where the kids splash around all day....as the mothers work on their tan.
The fathers at one time or another....and depending on the month of the year....gather around the television for the U. S. Open or baseball or the ten hours straight of NFL football. Everything under the sun is discussed....except Jesus Christ. This is what is now our Lord's Day. There has been at least fifty years of God's continuous warnings to us that judgment is at hand....but one by one those faithful preachers such as Billy Graham have died and gone to be with their Lord....replaced by young energetic pastors....and youth pastors.... and directors of this and that....so many ministries that on the church website you would have to wade through a dozen pages of events to even find something vaguely resembling the gospel of Jesus Christ.
One thing that probably has been discussed or commented on during the day is the political situation. One person makes a comment on how crazy this or that policy is....then a second takes their turn....and a third and so on. The conclusion of it all is that the next election must be won. No one present at the church or in the family gatherings afterwards seems to have any clue as our own culpability in what has happened to America. Hey....the other people are the bad guys. God has blessed us with this lifestyle....and it is in danger because the other side doesn't see God's blessing in church and family and American hegemony.
Is this summary a bit too rough? Yes....and it ignores all the faithful congregations meekly gathering around a faithful pastor....but I believe that it is needed because the church is so....in the world.....so unseparated....that we are a big part of the problem. The glory has departed from the church.....Ichabod! It would be good to see even one tear come from the pulpits....one bowed head that doesn't plop right back up with a smile....one evidence of humility that maybe we realize that we ourselves were deceived.
We need to wake up in the morning on what we now call Sunday....and purpose to give this day to He who holds our temporal and eternal destiny in His hands. That our efforts would be imperfect is certain....but that there has to be some sort of repentance and humility is also certain. This would bring a winnowing....but a much needed winnowing....a more sure identification of the remnant....true fellowship over 'hellos' and 'goodbyes' and 'same time...same place....next week.' We might not see the change in the church....God's will shall determine this....but we will see the change in our own vision of a glorious and merciful God....but a God whose judgments are righteous. Do not despise the day of small beginnings!
