When the Church Band Played at the Local Brewery: Day 2

Two biblical passages and an amazing author have jumped into view since yesterday, all of which cast favor on our move out into the community, showing ourselves as regular people who are trying to incorporate the believe-in-Jesus thing into our real lives.

Yes, our church band plays every now and then at the local brewery. This band also plays a varied playlist on the float in the Christmas parade and in the park events where we set up water inflatables and give away Nathan's hot dogs. Once a year, in June, we skip the church service and open the backyard at 1pm for Sand and Sauce featuring a pig picking, cornhole and sand volleyball tournaments, more inflatables, more Nathan's hot dogs.

All of this to accomplish yesterday's adage (see July 29th post):

Go play with wonderful people in unlikely places. Your church will come to life and Jesus will accompany you there.

We think the Bible tells us so:

Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized--whoever. I didn't take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ--but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn't just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it! (1 Corinthians 9:19-23.) 

Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand--shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16.)

By opening up to others, we prompt people to open up with God? That is incredible to think about.

Rachel Evans, blog writer and author of A Year of Biblical Womanhood, finds herself squarely in the research and conversation about church and its underreach and overreach. She posts the six reasons David Kinneman finds in the 2007-2011 Barna research on why young adults are leaving the church. They include the church's exclusivity and hostility to those with doubts and questions about their faith.

Let's be honest. It is tempting to keep church to ourselves. What could be easier than attending, saying hi, listening and worshiping a little, and moving on to Monday? How much harder to think through how we appear to the local community day in and day out! What is our messaging? How are we doing the real work of selling Jesus by bridging the gap into the regular lives of those outside the church?

So, in the words of 1 Corinthians 9, we try to keep our bearings in Christ, while entering the world and experiencing things from their point of view.

And the band plays on.

Thanks to Jessica Lallo for the passage from 1 Corinthians 9.

Thanks to biblegateway.com for (today's) Verse of the Day from Matthew 5.

Thanks to Rachel Evans for braving these waters: rachelheldevans.com.

Comments are welcome at feedyourstrength@gmail.com.