August 26, 2001
Romans 5:1-11; Isaiah 40:28-31 ( CEB) ( RSV) ( KJV) ( NIV)
"Beware It's Contagious"
I remember years ago, walking across a couple of country roads to see my friend Vernon. Even before Igot to the door, I could see a bright red sign. As I neared the house, I readon the door, Danger, Do Not Enter, Scarlet Fever- Contagious. Perhaps some of you can remember when they did that. Such a warning sure gets your attention.
Sometimes, good things are contagious. The thing I like about sports, not the whining millionairesrunning around, but real sports is that enthusiasm can be contagious. Sometimes a mediocre team pulls together and gets veryenthusiastic and in the process knocks of a team that, on paper at least is, much better. Two types of contagion; One awarning that things are not well, the other great enthusiasm that captures the imagination and effort of all concerned.
That’s sort of the way it is in the world of Religion; certainly the Judeo-Christian religion. Therehave been times when people of faith have been negative and critical and a great sense of defeatism seemingly is present.
In our day, at least for many of us, the 50’s and 60’s were halcyon days. Almost all Churches ofour persuasion were growing rapidly. Worship services were crowded, youth groups were huge, main line seminaries were filledwith ministerial prospects- enthusiasm was running high and buildings were being put up or enlarged all over this country-buildings that, in many cases are now millstones because social circumstances changed so quickly and so dramatically.
Let me try and paint a sociological picture. Speaking in generalities, the people who are now 70 orolder were known as the ‘doer’ generation. This was the generation that forged into the unknown. Stores andfactories were built, inventions came steadily, autos were perfected, airplanes progressed from the Wright brothers to landing onthe moon in just a little over 50 years. These people also built Churches and attended them and even more, sat on boards,served as teachers or moderators or trustees or superintendents and they did it for years. Burn out wasn’t heard of so, itdidn’t happen.
The children of the doers, now 55-70, are called ‘maintainers’. We, I say we because I am a part ofthis group, were the generation that was proud of what our doer parents had accomplished and we followed on their steps andstyle. We dressed up for Church. We respected leaders and when changes occurred we fought against them but we stillattended and worshipped because these were our Churches and this was the faith that was important in our lives and we wanted tocontinue and build upon what our doer parents had started.
But that all began to change in the 50’s and even more in the 60’s when the ‘Baby Boomers’ appearedon the scene. The boomers, now 40-55, were a generation in revolt. This was a generation that was not going to embracethe values of their maintainer parents or their doer grandparents. The Boomers revolted against their parents, thegovernment, education and the military. They revolted against marriage as an institution, against their parent’s dresscodes and they ushered in a whole new idea of music.
The ‘boomers’ greatly impacted the Church and how it looks at itself.
They wanted their music to be not just the music of the secular but also the music of the sacred. Theydidn’t want dead time or silence in worship. They wanted noise and lights and action and sound and emotion; and theycertainly didn’t want to dress up for Church, after all some of them had to do it during the week. Not surprisingly, in amarket driven age, Churches began to spring up that catered to their wishes.
The boomers had spiritual longings, but they tried to fill that void with an accumulation of things. From cabins to skidoos; from souped up cars to sporting events; from expensive vacations to oversized houses, they had them: infact they had everything except a savings account.
The children of the boomers, now 25-40 were called generation X or the ‘busters’. They were raisedin an atmosphere of freedom and openness. They, like their boomer parents, were not interested in perpetuating the valuesthey had seen. The busters tended to revolt against the materialism of their boomer parents. They resented the factthat their parents were maintaining a high life style at the expense of employees. They lamented that they are, in the main,over educated and under employed. They chose different clothing. Grunge is in; labels are out- look what has happenedon the market to Levi Strauss and Nike. They wanted music all the time because they have it when they rise, when theytravel, in their elevators, offices etc. They want no down time or quiet time in worship, they do not want to dress up andthey do not want the church talking about money. They are a seeking generation, having found out that the
Now, their children, generation X1 are in their late teens or early 20,s. This is the first generationwhere single parenting is the norm, not the exception. This generation is very individualistic. They don’t trustpeople because those you love hurt you and frequently walk out on you. But this group is self reliant and motivated and manythinkers feel here might be the next doer generation, so there is a heavy emphasis being placed on Christian Education and howthis age group can be reached.
All this has an enormous impact on the Church. It is becoming increasingly difficult to be a generalistChurch because there are so many target audiences. Marketing is now the driving force in Churches as it is in the secularworld and Churches like this one are being forced to determine, what is the emphasis that characterizes us. What is ourniche in the greater Wauwatosa area?
In my mind this poses a real problem. We must guard against the temptation to believe that techniquesor how we do things, will be the cure all. When all is said and done, our basic task is to instill within the lives ofpeople, faith in God as demonstrated and taught by Jesus Christ our Lord. That is what we are about and whatever style iseventually adopted must promote that end and allow individuals the freedom and the opportunity to grow within that faith emphasis.
No style; no approach; no use of technology will ever supplant the enthusiastic presentation and acceptanceof Jesus Christ as Lord of the Church and Lord of each member’s life. That’s the key and that type of enthusiasm iscontagious.
Be aware of the fact, however, that this is a slow process. It begins with genuine love for each otherand it picks up momentum when we have real respect for one another. Love and respect require that we Trust one another.
Take a Church like this, for example, each year the congregation elects people to serve on boards andcommittees. In a Congregational Church, we believe that where two or three are gathered together, in the name of Christ,Christ is there in the midst. That is a Church and the Church is real. What that means is when a congregation such asthis one, meets in an annual meeting to elect new leadership it is with the understanding that the Holy Spirit is present. If that is true, then when election results are revealed, we should rejoice that people have consented to serve God in this mannerand members of the congregation have expressed their voice by accepting new leaders through the voting process.
Now comes the hard part. Elected boards are elected for a purpose. That purpose is spelled out in ourconstitution and bylaws. Part of discipleship is, we trust the leadership of the people we have elected, because, just asthe boards and committees have their roles defined, so does the Congregation. It is not the prerogative of the body tosecond guess the work of the committees unless they are overstepping the duties prescribed to them.
The real issue in most of the Congregational Churches of which I am aware, and that is most in ourfellowship, is that there is very poor communication between boards and committees and even more poor communications betweenboards and the congregation.
Each board in a Church, each committee, is an outreach of the Church and is dedicated to serve our Lord inthe sphere of their influence. The common task that each has is to make sure that everything is ready to proclaim themessage of God’s love and saving action through Jesus Christ. If that is not the driving force, then there will not beenthusiasm and the Church will flounder.
Such work requires trust, love and acceptance. John Vanier, founder of the Larche communities andexecutive director of Daybreak Community says, “Begin where you are with tenderness and kindness to your neighbor. Shareyour eyes, your hands, your tenderness. Look at people. Smile at People. Love is a slow process of growth.”
When all is said and done, that’s why we love the Church and why we stay with the Church. It’s notalways what it IS. Sometimes it is what it CAN be. Often, just when you are about to say, I’ve had it with theChurch. Someone stands up and tells some people how their life has been changed in the Church. Just when you thinknothing is happening or worse, that what is happening is not constructive, someone says, this Church has meant as much as life tome. It dies over my dead body. Just when you think the Church is not doing its work, you read about what some kids aredoing with their money, time and effort or you see the enthusiasm and the hope in some kids at vacation Bible school.
In my preparation, at this point, I remembered a book I had read many years ago. It is a book by NormanVincent Peale called, “Enthusiasm Makes The Difference”. Now, usually, I am not a Peale fan, or any of his successorsfor that matter. In seminary, we used to say, “Paul is appealing but Peale is appalling.” Having said that, thereare some good things that he has written and certainly he had a huge influence on his generation. In one of the chapters ofthe book on enthusiasm, he writes about how it is contagious. Peale gives 7 steps to becoming an enthusiastic person. It struck me, as I was rereading these that they apply to a Church also. Here they are- 7 steps to being an enthusiasticcongregation,
Stop running yourself down. There is a lot that is right in you. Empty your mind of failure and start respecting yourself.
Eliminate self-pity. Start thinking about what you have left, not what you have lost. Jot down your assets.
Quit thinking about yourself and start thinking about others. Or, better yet, start helping others.
Remember the philosopher Goethe who said, “The one who has a firm will molds the world to himself.”
Have a goal and put a timetable to it. Most of us work best when the test is due or the paper deadline has been posted.
Stop wasting your mind on gripes and post-mortems. Start thinking about what you do now. Think, think constructively.
Every morning and every evening say to yourself, and as often as you need to, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Perhaps no people have demonstrated the ebb and flow of religious enthusiasm as the Children of Israel.
It was to discouraged Hebrew believers that a desperate prophet named Isaiah issued his challenge. Isaiah is angry, yet in his anger toward the schizophrenic behavior of the Children of Israel he utters words of hope andenthusiasm. Here is another prescription for enthusiasm. It was given as a peptalk to the Israelites but it is also amessage to First Congregational Church today. Hear it again- for the first time.
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of theends of the earth. God does not tire or grow weary. God’s understandingis unsearchable.
God gives power to the tired and to those who have no might, God increases strength. Even youths shallgrow tired and be weary and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. Theyshall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
That, dear friends, IS the message of the prophet. That Is the message of JesusChrist. That IS the message of the Church.
Accept Christ as Leader of your life and allow enthusiasm to flow through you. Such acceptance willproduce enthusiasm; enthusiasm is contagious and enthusiasm ALWAYS results in growth. May it be so – right here!