January 19, 2007

Dear family and friends of WCPC:

I maintain a marine fish tank at home. It’s probably my only hobby or at least the only one I have some degree of confidence in. I also have a small fresh water tank in my study at the church.  That tank has a lot of green algae on the side of the tank, so it’s hard to see the fish. I’ve had a few people see it and mention it must be harmful for the fish.  Actually it’s just the opposite. The green algae isn’t hurting the fish at all. In fact the fish probably like it because if it’s removed than they will see out of the tank into my office.  In other words it’s more natural for the fish to see green than to see my desk. I’m probably going to clean that tank soon, not because of my concern for the fish, but because I want to be able to see the fish better. After all that’s why I have it in my office.

Why is it that people are so reluctant to worshipping God, reading the Bible, becoming part of a Sunday School class or a small group?  Part of the answer I believe is that when we worship God, study the Bible, engage in study with others the “green algae” that naturally occurs in the living of our lives in a broken world starts to be removed.  We begin to “see out of the tank.”  We begin to see things as they are supposed to be. In truth it’s more comfortable to live ignorant of God’s presence and truth.  But while it might be more comfortable, we miss out on so much.  We miss out on God’s best for us.

And there’s another truth as well. If I don’t attend to my small tank at some point, if the algae continues to grow and get totally out of control, it will hurt the fish.  It will take some time but at some point it won’t be a fish tank anymore but an algae tank. You can’t live your life ignorant of God’s will and Word and expect not to suffer the consequences—consequences that impact the quality of our lives right now and the quality of the lives of those around us.  We can get away with it for a time, but eventually we have to pay the price.

That’s why I’m always encouraging you to come to worship, read your Bibles, get involved in study and supportive fellowship. I know that in my own life when I have neglected any of these spiritual disciplines my life shows it. I’ve had people from time to time mention to me that they can experience God, worship God in nature, while they’re at the beach or hiking. That certainly can happen, and I’ve experienced God in places like these, but it’s not the normative way that God works to shape our lives. Those are, bonus times. The normative way that God shapes lives is through community, through the church family, as we worship, study, struggle, and serve God together.

This Sunday as we continue our focus on the Seven Goals established by “A Roadmap to the Future,” our scripture text will be Acts 2: 42–47. It describes the early church and how they lived together.  The key to understanding the text is that they lived it, the Christian faith, in community, together.  Particularly I want to show you how  meeting in small groups became essential to their discipleship.

See you on Sunday,