I moved to Australia in the summer of 2007. On a day off, my friend Adrie and I decided to be daring and travel to a new beach. We hopped on a bus and went to Bronte beach.
If you haven’t been to Australia before, the waves, like everything in Australia, are HUGE. These waves were knocking everything and everyone around like a laundry mat. The weather was pushing the waves down the beach. It looked like the ocean was doing the wave.
People were moving along the beach chasing the waves hoping for a chance to ride them.
It was cooking outside so Adrie and I decided to go in for a swim. When we got about waist-deep, the BIGGEST wave was brewing in the distance. We braced ourselves to be overtaken. When the wave hit, I, and everyone in the wake of the monster, was tossed around. I was taken to the shore…along with another person. An Australian dude…taken by the wave…was riding the wave on top of me….and he had a speedo. I was the meat in the sandwhich of Mr. Speedo and the sand. When the mini tsunami calmed, I got up and my back was rubbed raw from gliding with the sand. The guy sat up and said “Sorry, I was chasing the wave, Shivers that was *************** crazy!” And he jumped back in the water. Adrie went home with a story and I left with an exfoliated back.
I was reminded of this story of Mr. Speedo- the wave chaser- when I was at church last week. The pastor spoke about during this holiday season how we seem to chase the dream of perfect holidays filled with movie-like memories and then we can get in the holiday blues when we come to realize it’s not reality. He reminded us to go after Christ, the real thing. It was not the typical “Jesus is the reason for the season” but rather a different take. Well, It is the holiday season and it got me thinking.
This was my first time at this church. It was not what I expected and they did things different than I’ve ever seen before. They weren’t trying to be the ‘cool, hip, unorthodox, take this to THE BIG MAN in the Church’ type of different– but rather, it was stripped down and simple.
With my previous job, I was in a role at church that I had to critique everything. And I mean EVERYTHING- from drive-in all the way to the drive-out.
So when I drove up to the church, I began to take mental notes.
I began to see (well, I was looking for it) what was not there. Where were the happy parkers, the warm greeters, the cool stage design with an artsy graphic display on the screen, the light show, the free (or at least purchasable) coffee, the indie band tunes playing in the atrium to create an atmosphere?
The service then started. I began to evaluate the MC and all the DISTRACTING commotion behind him. Then the music began. I’m a musician, so it is my Natural, Right, and Duty to critique the music..right? I looked for a solid drummer, dynamics in the songs, band knowing their parts, chords and keys, vocal blend, stage positions, transitions, energy on stage, lyrics displayed on time, the mix in the house, etc…
After 1 song (yep, that’s it), the preacher came up with no cool introduction, no applause, no music behind him for the pre-message pump, he had no tattoos, no skinny jeans and no boots!
I thought surely all these wouldn’t appeal to the first-timer. From the hype about this church I had high expectations that went unmet.
Honestly, I can’t tell you if anyone else was distracted, because I was too busy being distracted. My critical eye had me focussing on everything else but The Main thing. I was missing it. The extra fluff I was used to and wanted to wow me was not there. It was bare, exposed, and stripped.
The preacher got up and spoke from the Living, Speaking Word. The exposed Word. Every ‘cool’ factor was stripped away and what was left was Truth. That’s what is needed.
See, sometimes I seem to forget that God’s Word doesn’t need anything else to stand. It stands alone- has, does, and will. We as the Church make it irrelevant, watery, and feel somehow it needs something extra in order to keep us intrigued. But from the Christian who’s been saved for 50 years to the one who has been running from Him for 50 years, He speaks intimately.
We want ‘Christianity’ to be pretty, cool, and just covered in love (we call it love, but use it like sloppy grace). Yes, Jesus is Love- no doubt, but following Him is not all easy and happy 24/7. There are times it is uncomfortable, challenging, and it costs… a lot.
Sidenote**** I want to make it clear: I’m not saying there is anything wrong with everything that goes into making a great experience for people. I don’t think there is anything wrong with fashionable speakers, great graphics, amazing musicians/music, warm coffee or anything else to make a person feel welcomed and accepted. The Church NEEDS to be a place where anyone and everyone can come in and feel accepted and loved for them right there.
Ok…Back on…
The problem was with me being distracted. I began chasing the desire for the seamless, distraction-free service. Then the distraction-free chase became my distraction. I was chasing the emptiness of the shadows that were there ONLY to point to what is giving the shadow.
I was chasing the shadow of perfection in the service.(Now, I’m not talking about excellence. Excellence and perfection are two different things. I think you should have excellence in all you do. But perfection, well, I think that’s soulless because it’s unlike humanity. It comes across inauthentic, emotionless, intangible, and just not human. This is not what I want.)
When creating a ‘distraction-free’ experience becomes our goal and ultimately, our distraction, then we are chasing shadows and what is true and real becomes secondary. We can’t sell Christianity in a perfect, neatly presented package. If- WHEN- I do this, I SO screw it up. But I love how when I do screw up this Jesus is still there and fixes it all.
I don’t know why I still try to do this when I’ve experienced the unrelenting love of God. A perfect shadow doesn’t expose the real, tangible, loving God I’ve experienced. Jesus came down and hung out with the messy, screwed up people. He loves me in my mess. He loves me messy. He loves you messy. He’s real, gets in our messes, loves us, cleans us, and restores us. I want to create not a perfect, distraction free 'experience', but rather the true experience of a God who loves me- you- them- messy and all. The experience with a Real, Loving, and interruptible Jesus.
Maybe a ‘cool’ church is not what the hurt, broken, lost, and The Church needs. Maybe it’s in need of stripping away pretenses, ‘got-it-together’ facades, and every other thing we add-on. We just need Jesus- the exposed love, grace, hope, and redemption that loves us unconditionally with His perfect love.
Thank Jesus He pursues perfectly the imperfect.
