...those church marquee signs around town.
The other day as I was driving around town I couldn't help but notice three such signs because their messages didn't quite add up and left me more frustrated than intrigued.
Rich Mullins, in his song "Save Me," sings: "Save me from trendy religion that makes cheap cliches out of timeless truths."
That one line of the song has always stayed with me and I quite agree with him. I hope you'll see what I mean by the signs I saw.
First, let me say that all of the signs I saw happened to be at Protestant churches; even so, my thoughts are much the same when I see similar signs at Catholic churches.
The signs may be clever, catchy and cool, but I always wonder if they don't water down the faith a bit or send the wrong message but putting too emphasis on something that ought to be held in tension. More often than not there is a grain of truth in these signs, but not much more.
The signs, in the order I saw them, are:
I beg to differ. Although I am not certain as to when the First Christian Church began, I find it hard to believe that this denomination - if, indeed, it claims to be one (I couldn't find a web site for them) - can be more than a century old.
The difficulty with this sign - aside from the blurriness due to taking it from within my car looking out through my windshield (I was sitting at a stop light) - is that a compass cannot properly be used without first knowing how to use it and read it; knowing how to read a map also helps to use a compass (and a sextant is always handy, too, if you have one). In the same manner one has to know how to read the Scriptures. Reading the Bible is not like reading a manual, a text book, or a comic book. At least it shouldn't be.
While I will not deny that worship is a verb and thus something to be done - indeed, there are plenty of Scriptural passages commanding us to praise the Lord - it should be remembered that worship is also a noun and thus something to be experienced. Because true worship comes from God - he teaches us how to worship him (thus we receive the Liturgy and do not create it ourselves) - it is something to be experienced. True worship is not so much what we do for God but what God does for us. Remember, the word "liturgy" does not mean "the work of the people" as many people claim today, but rather "work for the people."I wonder why there are fireworks outside right now... If they aren't fireworks it's some very bizarre thunder...
Instead of putting awkard catch phrases on the marquee, why not put a verse of Scripture up? Something from the book of Proverbs ought to work nicely.
That's one of the best posts you've done recently. Right on target, all the way through. Thoughtful and, as I've said before, restful.
ReplyDeleteAs I recall, the "Christian Church", also called "Disciples of Christ" was started in the 1890's, by watering down Protestant doctrine as far as it could go. The idea was to find the things everyone agreed. They thought, for some reason, that doing that would bring all Protestants together. "Those who do not learn from history...." ;)
Instead of putting awkard catch phrases on the marquee, why not put a verse of Scripture up? Something from the book of Proverbs ought to work nicely.
ReplyDeleteI suggest Matthew 16:18, or Matthew 26:26, or John 20:19-23.
But hey, that's just me.
The older gentleman that puts blurbs up on our sign at Church very often does a good job and provokes thought and research. Sometimes, though, what he posts he alone understands. At least the sign changes every week now!
ReplyDeleteSharon
"Worship... it's something you do. Communion, on the other hand, is neither experienced nor done, barring two times per year."
ReplyDeleteSilly ol' Baptists.
:-)
Well, lets just say that putting up Bible verses such as these ain't as welcoming as those fuzzy and warm ones =)
ReplyDeleteMatthew 8:12
Matthew 13:42
Matthew 22:13
Matthew 24:51
Matthew 25:30
For your convenience:
# Matthew 8:12
But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
# Matthew 13:42
They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
# Matthew 22:13
'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
# Matthew 24:51
He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
# Matthew 25:30
And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
Good idea, Ma Beck!
ReplyDeleteAndrew, hilarious as always!