Everybody has a philosophy of life – an implicit one as well as an explicit one. The latter is defined by our creeds. The former by our deeds.
Upon observation, one commentator put forward the view that the three essentials of church practice today are
1. a building or some physical meeting place
2. a sermon and designated sermonizer and
3. the collection of tithes and offerings
Of course, that’s not denying other less essential practices ;- music, musicians, (often coded ‘worship’), weddings, funerals, christenings, sunday schools, soup kitchens and the like. But those stated three seemed to him the non negotiable essentials. Take away any of those pillars and the whole shebang falls, regardless of whichever of the sundry belief systems that animate the project – Catholic, Evangelical, Adventist, Pentecostal etc etc.
Covid 19 gives us a glimpse of the kind of disruption from Church as we know it that takes place when any one one of these is attacked.
But maybe it can also give us time enough to wake up and re-imagine (perhaps even re-invent ‘church’….) so that it is more reflective of the high ideals of faith rather than the structures of this world. (Maybe I cant help but suggesting it….being much more the dreamer than schemer).
So, in true John Lennon mode, let’s imagine that what we define Christianity in our world was not any of the before stated. Let’s make believe that all the sundry rituals and doctrines were simply considered bells and whistles, but everyone universally understood Christianity as the practice of (in reverse order)
- Loving God (as the embodiment of creativity)
- Loving people (as embodied in whichever community of one’s participation) and
- Loving self. (as expressed through the nurture of body, mind and positive attitudes)
One could argue that the soul of Christianity is represented by the latter three; and the former are at best facilitating strategies.
Seeing things this way, awakens in me a self – awareness….and a personal discontent. After all is said and done, I know me enough to recognize that I’m not even qualified to sing sincerely that song “Lord I want to be a Christian inna my heart”.
Who would I be kidding? The years have rolled over my soul like a train. My heart has become stone cold. The only sincere prayer I can muster is to the Jesus who can rekindle the fire of first love and renew in me a childlike spirit meek enough to follow a path I thought I understood…..and thinking that (I understood it) was the very stone on which I stumbled.
YeKengalé 