Forgotten Passwords to the Church

Whew!  I finally remembered my password!

I've been unable to get into my blog since December because I couldn't' remember my password.  When I tried to get it reset the questions Google asked were so specific and my blog is now getting so old, I couldn't' remember the answers (and didn't have them written down), so I couldn't get in.  I nearly gave up on ever getting in here ever again.

But then I decided to give it one more try--and, I'M IN!!

I think the church is kind of like that for some people.  Especially those who used to be very engaged and even active in their churches.  But then, something happens in their life or perhaps nothing happens in their life but they get distracted by other things and then finally realize that they have become totally disconnected from the Church they once knew and loved.

Like I've done with my blog the last four months, they drive by, looking to see if anything has changed.  They might have even driven through the parking lot, wondering if they would run into someone they knew.  Of course Sunday mornings are always an option, but a painful one. 

"Hey!  Good to see you.  Where have you been?  We are so glad you are back!" is the greeting they dread. 

Dread?  But that is such a warm and welcoming greeting!  Yes it is, but one who has been confronted with the reality of breaking of the third commandment to honor the Sabbath Day, and who has not yet received absolution, anything said is couched in a guilty conscience.

Despite our best efforts to welcome them back with open arms, what they might hear instead is,

"What's wrong with you?  Why did you leave?  And you think you can come back here and just pick up where you left off?  We've moved on without you."

This fear can especially come home to roost if, when they return, things really have changed; new faces, new facilities and new programs or liturgies can all be 'password protected' from the one who is seeking to come back into the worship life of the congregation.  Each of those things become like passwords into the community of faith. 

So, am I saying we can't change?  That we have to preserve everything of our past out of fear of losing the one who is not currently here on the off chance they might return?  Yes and no.

The familiar prayers, the favorite hymns, the traditions and rites of passage that every congregation forms apart from the actual content of the faith itself are all methods of entry into a shared experience.  And that is a good thing as they unite  and encourage us around the faith we've been given in Jesus and help us share that Good News with others. 

However, they should also never hinder the mission of the Church which is to seek and save the lost through the work and proclamation of the saved as, by the power of the Holy Spirit, they confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of all.

Without a password, its nearly impossible to gain entry into a blog or your bank account or any other on-line account that you haven't interacted with in a long time--unless you get that email that allows you to reset the password.  Something outside the blog and outside your mind which says, "Its OK.  Let's have a do-over."

Many of our folks need a do-over.  Over half of the folks "on the books" at Redeemer have not been in church for over a year.  For some its 10.  Those of you who have been around during that time, have you noticed the changes that have occurred?  Does the place look different than it did one, three, five, or 10 years ago?  Of course it does!  Do we do things differently?  Yes.  I'm sure we do.  But do you know what hasn't changed?  The one thing that can bring them back into the church guilt-free and ready to pick up right where they left off--forgiveness, grace, and mercy.  And just like none of "by our own reason or strength" can seek faith without the Holy Spirit, neither will someone who is long separated from the Church readily seek a relationship with Her.

So, as the site administrators, perhaps we could offer a password reset.  Just like that reset e-mail you get, as Christians we are called to reach out to those in our fellowship who have been absent and offer that hand of friendship and forgiveness.  We go to them instead of waiting for them to show up on Sunday and we say,

"We've missed you.  How can we help you reset your password?  We are willing to overlook your absence and forgive you of that lapse of faithfulness so that you can pick up where you left off and continue in your faith and live in that faith to the fullest extent that God has planned for you." 

And we are willing to do that because Jesus has already promised it is so.  He reset all our passwords on the cross and so that when we reach heaven we will have no trouble entering.  And just as Jesus paved the way for you to enter heaven we pave the way for those who have lost their way.  We welcome the prodigal sons and daughters of God with open arms, running out to them while they are yet a long way off, so that they can rejoin the celebration which goes on with out end.

Oh, and by the way, the password on that final day will be SSAN1 (Sunday School Answer no. 1=Jesus).