Introductions

Written: January 20, 2008

I think this may be the most beautiful church I have ever been a part of. Aesthetically, no. With ceiling tiles missing to reveal overhead scaffolding, floors stripped to the concrete sub-floor and still bearing witness to the previous crude tile floor, this is not a church of the wealthy. We warn people to bring their coats because in the winter the temperature of the room is dictated by the temperature outside. However, if you come early, you might notice a quiet bustling in the back of the room. There, you will find a strong, beautiful spirit making hot chocolate and toast for a handful of people in the congregation who literally arrive starving. This is not a planned event or an announcement in the bulletin. It is the overflow of one woman’s beautiful heart expressed in the way we imagine it might have happened with the early church. The first Sunday I witnessed this take place, the woman explained to me that when every person is eating four helpings of food, even the children, you know they are starving. As she told me about them, I actually laughed, thinking she was joking that they were actually starving. It was a busy day, very few things had gone according to schedule, and she was somewhat frazzled. I figured she was just being somewhat dramatic, as we have a tendency to do when we tell stories. I’d said “I’m starving” only a few days before, which of course, was only an exaggeration. My chuckle was met with a blank stare. She was not being dramatic. She was serious. I was silenced. However, she quickly said, “You know the Spirit is going to be at work today, because everything seems to be going wrong.” And the Spirit is at work... the previous Wednesday night, I had attended the Women’s Bible Study for the first time. There, I met a woman named Tina with enthusiasm and attitude to spare. She was animated and eager to know the Word, as, I’ve found out, so many in the church are, as well. In fact, the night of the study, we were discussing Creation. Just about the time that Michelle, the study leader, began to explain the Fall, Tina enthusiastically shouts out with exasperation, “And she ate the d*** [excuse the explicative for story purposes] apple!” which thoroughly shocked the room, but ended in nervous chuckles all around. I actually really love the beautiful attitude of the people though. They have not been spoiled, ever, especially not by the church. We sit on metal chairs in the middle of a cold gymnasium. Seminary students often turn their nose up at this place, but, if we’d all look just a little deeper, invest an ounce, there is this incredible beauty to be found. The sad part is that I’m not sure I ever would have discovered it myself if a staff position at the church had not been placed in my lap. If I had not instantly been given responsibilities at the church, I wonder if I would have remained either. It is tough work to attend a hurting church and it demands that we get our hands dirty. Christians are not often very eager for that work, unless they feel that they are really a part of something. Enough classes on Servant Leadership and Ministerial Administration have taught me that “without vision, the people perish.” Today, I was introduced to the church as the Minister of Education. Afterward, as a few of us were winding cords, one of the members said, “Now that you’re paid, you’re coming to help, huh?” His attitude was good, and we were only joking, but I wondered about that statement to myself later. I knew that this statement was not true, because serving is worship to me, but there was a shift in my mind that now gave me some sort of “permission” to help in a more aggressive way, to ask if I could help with tasks that seemed to be “reserved” for those in leadership. I think the thing that I really love about this church, that perhaps I had not noticed until today, was that there are no “reserved” tasks. The church is a family, and the seeming “leadership” never plays its authoritarian card. I pray that I will be able to communicate that with others, as well. An early example of this came when, suddenly, it was announced that a female visitor would be reciting a poem at the end of the sermon. She had approached the pastor during the invitation and requested to be allowed to recite the poem her mother had written in honor of Martin Luther King. The pastor quickly prayed that the Lord would guard what was said, and he agreed to allow her to do it. The informality of the situation and the beauty of the poem spoke volumes about the pastor and the church. Many in the 75% African American congregation were moved by the words, and blessed by their presentation. I think the informality of the situation also enhanced the beauty of the moment. Impromptu creativity was allowed in church!
It seems only fitting that Dr. Taylor, the pastor, had just spoken about Martin Luther King, Jr. in his sermon, which ended with him quoting, “The world is in dire need of creative extremists!” Had I heard him correctly? I later Googled those words to see if I could understand their full impact. In a 1963 letter from Birminham Jail, Dr. MLK Jr. wrote some intensely moving words that, I think, apply to us, the body of believers. I have excerpted a portion of it below because the powerful words are beautiful and inspiring.
“... I have not said to my people: “Get rid of your discontent.” Rather, I have tried to say that this normal and healthy discontent can be channeled into the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action. And now this approach is being termed extremist.
But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Was not Amos an extremist for justice: “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.” Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: “I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Was not Martin Luther an extremist: “Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God.” And John Bunyan: “I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience.” And Abraham Lincoln: “This nation cannot survive half slave and half free.” And Thomas Jefferson: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal...” [Here’s my favorite part!] So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary’s hill three men were crucified. We must never forget that all three men were crucified for the same crime—the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth, and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.”
(source: http://www.scribd.com/doc/46251/Letter-from-Birmingham-Jail)
I’ve grown long-winded, and people can only take in so much passionate talk at one time, but one final thought: perhaps we all can rally behind the idea of creative extremism for beautiful causes. Extremism is often discouraged, frequently by the church, but understanding what MLK, Jr. is saying here, and the case he makes in regard to Christ and Amos and Paul, my prayer can only be that my life would be marked by a godly creative extremism. It’s inspiring!

P.S. Tina was baptized in the service today. I sat next to her disinterested, 17-year-old daughter, and watched as Tina stepped through the next door in her faith. If only more churches had an enthusiastic, hungry, delightful woman like Tina in their congregations, and actually delighted in who she was!