Tired?
Just finished writting my article for the local paper. Guess this will be the last one... so here it is.
Tired?
By Kevin Presseault
So… how are you doing? The very typical response to that question in our Canadian culture is “Fine. How are you?” If we’re really honest with each other, we’re probably not as fine as we tell people we are. We really just want to sit back and engage in some polite and friendly conversation.
How am I doing? Glad you asked! I’m tired. Really, really tired. Last night was probably once of the worse night’s sleep I’ve had in years. My eyes are sore just trying to focus on my computer screen as I type this article. I have a killer headache that comes from being over tired. My neck and shoulders are stiff and feel like they’re in knots. Yup. I’m tired.
I’m also tired of winter. I’m really done with it. I was waiting for the school bus this morning with my kids and the wind blowing off that farmer’s field felt like it was going to cut me in half! I’m in dire need of some sun and some warmth.
And, can I say this without a mob showing up to lynch me… but I’m glad Hockeyville is over… because my fingers are really tired from voting hundreds of times online.
But of all the things that make me tired, the thing I’m probably the most tired of is what I call “Play Safe Christianity”. Play Safe Christianity (or PSC as I’ll type to save my tired fingers some energy) is rampant in the North American culture today. In PSC, we go to church, enjoy the worship time, listen to a sermon, maybe take communion and then go home. Sometimes in PSC we’ll go to a small group during the week with people very similar to us, we’ll volunteer in a mid-week kids program full of kids who regularly go to church, and send some money to some crazy radical nut-jobs out in the world doing some looney thing like living in mud huts (we call those crazies “Missionaries”).
PSC is the idea that the church exists for me and for my needs. As long as the programs and the services meet my needs and I’m enjoying it everyone else can just go to hell.
Harsh. You’re right. That’s why I’m tired of it. Isn’t that pretty much what we’re saying to the world around us when in PSC we’re simply sitting around in our churches, enjoying our worship and our programs? I’ve been reading the New Testament a lot lately and nowhere in any of those books of the Bible do I find where it says that I’m called to live a life of PSC.
I’m called to be the church… not go to church.
The apostle Paul in his letters calls the church the “Body of Christ”. This group of people who believe that Jesus is their Lord and Saviour are filled with the Holy Spirit in order to complete the work that Jesus started. Reading the four gospels we see that this work was healing the sick, encouraging the broken-hearted, feeding the poor, and sharing the message that the kingdom of God is with us. Paul tells us to grow in our faith, not for our benefit… but so that the body of Christ will be strong and healthy in order to be out in the world doing this great and import work of expanding God’s kingdom in the hearts of more and more people.
In other words, we grow in our faith… not for our benefit but the benefit of those around us! We grow so others will come to know Jesus as Saviour. We grow in knowledge, wisdom and love so that God’s love, a love that wants no one to end up in hell, can be shared with everyone!
How did we ever allow a Play Safe Christianity culture to emerge? I think we just forgot that the church isn’t a place that we go to, but rather it’s a life that we’ve been called to. I think the devil loves our PSC culture because it means he’ll have a lot more company with him when it’s all over.
So how are you doing? Are you tired of Play Safe Christianity? What can you do? Here’s something for starters. Go to your minister, or pastor, or priest, or elder (or whatever else you call your church leader) and ask them how you can help them to change the world! After you pick him or her off the ground from the shock of the request have a chat with them about how best you could be used by God with your spiritual gifts and talents to build up other people to equip them to spread this Good News.
Another thing to try is to call one of the many amazing organizations out there who are making a difference in people’s lives and ask how you can help. Call Woolwich Community Services, Community Care Concepts, Family Violence Prevention, one of the nursing homes, or wherever and get out there and bring the love of Jesus to people by serving and caring for those who need it!
Nothing in your life will excite you more then breaking free from PSC. Nothing will ignite your faith like serving like Jesus did. This is why I lie awake at night. This is what runs through my head… let’s break the bondage of PSC together!
And now I’m going to go take a nap.
Tired?
By Kevin Presseault
So… how are you doing? The very typical response to that question in our Canadian culture is “Fine. How are you?” If we’re really honest with each other, we’re probably not as fine as we tell people we are. We really just want to sit back and engage in some polite and friendly conversation.
How am I doing? Glad you asked! I’m tired. Really, really tired. Last night was probably once of the worse night’s sleep I’ve had in years. My eyes are sore just trying to focus on my computer screen as I type this article. I have a killer headache that comes from being over tired. My neck and shoulders are stiff and feel like they’re in knots. Yup. I’m tired.
I’m also tired of winter. I’m really done with it. I was waiting for the school bus this morning with my kids and the wind blowing off that farmer’s field felt like it was going to cut me in half! I’m in dire need of some sun and some warmth.
And, can I say this without a mob showing up to lynch me… but I’m glad Hockeyville is over… because my fingers are really tired from voting hundreds of times online.
But of all the things that make me tired, the thing I’m probably the most tired of is what I call “Play Safe Christianity”. Play Safe Christianity (or PSC as I’ll type to save my tired fingers some energy) is rampant in the North American culture today. In PSC, we go to church, enjoy the worship time, listen to a sermon, maybe take communion and then go home. Sometimes in PSC we’ll go to a small group during the week with people very similar to us, we’ll volunteer in a mid-week kids program full of kids who regularly go to church, and send some money to some crazy radical nut-jobs out in the world doing some looney thing like living in mud huts (we call those crazies “Missionaries”).
PSC is the idea that the church exists for me and for my needs. As long as the programs and the services meet my needs and I’m enjoying it everyone else can just go to hell.
Harsh. You’re right. That’s why I’m tired of it. Isn’t that pretty much what we’re saying to the world around us when in PSC we’re simply sitting around in our churches, enjoying our worship and our programs? I’ve been reading the New Testament a lot lately and nowhere in any of those books of the Bible do I find where it says that I’m called to live a life of PSC.
I’m called to be the church… not go to church.
The apostle Paul in his letters calls the church the “Body of Christ”. This group of people who believe that Jesus is their Lord and Saviour are filled with the Holy Spirit in order to complete the work that Jesus started. Reading the four gospels we see that this work was healing the sick, encouraging the broken-hearted, feeding the poor, and sharing the message that the kingdom of God is with us. Paul tells us to grow in our faith, not for our benefit… but so that the body of Christ will be strong and healthy in order to be out in the world doing this great and import work of expanding God’s kingdom in the hearts of more and more people.
In other words, we grow in our faith… not for our benefit but the benefit of those around us! We grow so others will come to know Jesus as Saviour. We grow in knowledge, wisdom and love so that God’s love, a love that wants no one to end up in hell, can be shared with everyone!
How did we ever allow a Play Safe Christianity culture to emerge? I think we just forgot that the church isn’t a place that we go to, but rather it’s a life that we’ve been called to. I think the devil loves our PSC culture because it means he’ll have a lot more company with him when it’s all over.
So how are you doing? Are you tired of Play Safe Christianity? What can you do? Here’s something for starters. Go to your minister, or pastor, or priest, or elder (or whatever else you call your church leader) and ask them how you can help them to change the world! After you pick him or her off the ground from the shock of the request have a chat with them about how best you could be used by God with your spiritual gifts and talents to build up other people to equip them to spread this Good News.
Another thing to try is to call one of the many amazing organizations out there who are making a difference in people’s lives and ask how you can help. Call Woolwich Community Services, Community Care Concepts, Family Violence Prevention, one of the nursing homes, or wherever and get out there and bring the love of Jesus to people by serving and caring for those who need it!
Nothing in your life will excite you more then breaking free from PSC. Nothing will ignite your faith like serving like Jesus did. This is why I lie awake at night. This is what runs through my head… let’s break the bondage of PSC together!
And now I’m going to go take a nap.
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