Broken Printer
If you were with us on Sunday, it was hot…like really hot. Not only that, but we had 425 people at worship at 10am. The Chapel only fits 175 people…which means we had about 250 people sitting outside.
Right before worship started, I said to some of our volunteers,
“maybe we should do the whole ‘first shall be last and last shall be first’ and move people who are inside out and people who are outside in?”
This suggestion was not super well received…
It’s hot and when people are hot or uncomfortable they can easily get frustrated or annoyed. They can miss out on really wonderful things because some of their basic needs are being stretched beyond where they are comfortable.
Our hope is that every person that comes to worship with us, loves their experience worshiping our God and King, fellowshipping with other believers, growing and learning, spending time in prayer, and ultimately draws closer to Jesus because of what is happening at The Chapel on Sunday morning.
We hope the body of Christ, the church and the people that are a part of it, will stay consistent and obedient, stay faithful and humble, stay sacrificial and generous…just like Jesus.
Hopefully that is what is happening around the world when the body of Christ gathers together…but sometimes this institutions, those structures, those body fails.
When I first got into ministry there was a big old printer at our church. It was impressive and had all the bells and whistles. It could do seemingly everything. But very quickly it seemed as though it would fail us.
It was out of something.
Something was broken.
Paper was jammed.
It wouldn’t work.
This thing that seemed too big to fail…did…regularly…
Over the past two decades I have continued to experience this over and over and over again with printers…and as you can guess, many other things as well.
Something seems so big and impressive that will solve all our (paper) problems and yet I am losing hope as it fails over and over again.
I get that likely it is user error…but still…
Shortly after WW2, confidence was at an all time high with hope abounding and fear and anxiety were virtually non-existent in America. Large institutions, booming churches, growing education and entertainment industries and trust in political powers kept everyone feeling safe and comfortable because something bigger than them was keeping watch, was staying steady, was looking out for everyone.
Like the printer, it seemed like nothing could fail.
Fast forward almost 80 years and for a variety of reasons, large institutions have splintered apart, churches have divided and turned on one another, education has moved from the prestigious brick and mortar institutions to online learning, entertainment is no longer controlled exclusively by Hollywood, but by smartphones and the internet, political and spiritual leaders have fallen because of corruption, and a steady diet of distrust has permeated all of our lives.
Like the printer that seemed so big and impressive, we are starting to lose hope.
When our security is based on something bigger than us, and then that thing that is bigger than us, stumbles or falls, we no longer have firm footing to stand on.
The natural response is fear, worry, and anxiety.
But the truth is, our hope was never supposed to be rooted in those things, those institutions or big and busy productions.
Our hope was always meant to be found in our God.
To trust in our creator, to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, and to experience the peace and comfort of the Spirit.
Those things will never fail, will never move, will never crumble.
As the psalmist says,
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
We must be the kind of people who fully recognize things around us will struggle, will fumble, will falter and fall…and yet, God is still on the throne.
Mark Sayers says in his poignant book, A Non-Anxious Presence,
“(When a culture) is swamped by chronic anxiety, it is marked by reactivity. Those within the system no longer act rationally, but rather, high emotion becomes the dominant form of interaction. The system’s focus is directed toward the most emotionally immature and reactive members. Those who are more mature and healthy begin to adapt their behavior to appease the most irrational and unhealthy. This creates a scenario where the most emotionally unhealthy and immature members in the system become de facto leaders, shaping the emotional landscape with the focus on their negative behavior and what they see as the negative behavior of others.”
As followers of Jesus, we need to keep our eyes fixed on him.
As followers of Jesus, we need to not let anxiety or fear or high emotions or chaos or hate or outrage or ignorance be our guide…we already have a guide. We already have a shepherd.
He leads us to green pastures and still waters. He restores our soul and leads us in paths of justice and righteousness. Even when we walk through places of darkness and difficulty, when everything seems to be falling apart around us…and the printer isn’t working…we do not have to fear, because our God, our King, our Shepherd is with us.
Fear and anxiety don’t have the final word…Jesus does…
And as I said on Sunday, Jesus calls for his followers, his disciples to be calm in the storm, to trust in the midst of chaos, to rise above and be the faithful servant leaders that do not add to the noise descending in a chaotic spiral of fear, outrage and anxiety.
That means we are called to live differently.
We are called to live as a non-anxious presence in the world who works to make the world a better place staying calm, collected, obedient lives demonstrating the love of Jesus to everyone all the time.
Jesus doesn’t cause fear and anxiety, he dissipates it.
Let us do the same.
As people who call ourselves Christians, our calling is to follow Jesus and be formed in his likeness. That means we abide in Jesus, are changed by him, and embody his ways for the glory of God and the good of others.
When our eyes are fixed on Jesus, anxiety and fear and worry lose power and control…so we can get back to the job we were called to in the first place.
God’s Kingdom come, God’s will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Join us this week for worship as we follow the Prince of Peace to be more like Him.
-Our Noon Prayer Hour continues each Tuesday from noon-1pm. Very simple and guided prayer time you will be blessed by.
-No Bible studies on Wednesday or Thursday this week, but we’ll be back next week with both.
Wednesday, July 10th at 9am for our Men’s and Women’s Bible Study Event in James.
Thursday, July 11th at 8am for our 20’s and 30’s Bible Study in Exodus.
This Sunday we will have worship like normal at 10am and we’ll also share in communion at 9am. If you haven’t been with us before, it is a quick communion service, about 15 minutes or so and then we will have coffee and pastries between the services.
We’ll continue in the Sermon on the Mount and the ever popular, Do Not Judge passage.
I look forward to being with you.
With so many people attending worship and it being so hot, I do want to mention a few things.
- We are providing water bottles for people sitting outside on Sunday. If you are willing to help with this, click this link and sign up for a Sunday or two to help out.
- To sit inside, you really need to be at The Chapel by about 9:40. It usually fills up by 9:50am.
- We stream our services, so if it is too hot or you want to make space for others, you can worship online from our church website, thechapelatseaside.com and from our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/TheChapelAtSeaside/.
- Our sermons are usually available the same day on our website and likely wherever you stream podcasts.
- And here is our bold ask…I do want to challenge those of you who are regulars to consider making room for others and be willing to sit outside to make room inside? No one loves to sweat or be hot…but consider making room for others if you feel able to.
Our hope is that we all try to bring a sense of peace, of comfort, of hospitality and love to all. I hope as followers of Jesus we follow in his example and in the great tradition of Abraham to bless others through both our words and actions.
Let us strive to be a non-anxious presence in every situation and circumstance, to bring peace and love, and to point others towards Jesus…so when the printer inevitably breaks, we remember, it was never about printer in the first place. Our hope was always meant to be in something greater.
Blessings.
Andrew