You are not good enough for the cross, but the cross was good enough for you. (Feels Like Home- Eclov-p.73)
In preparation for a series I plan to do in September and October, I am rereading Feels Like Home by retired pastor, Lee Eclov. Around 2 years ago I preached a similar series surrounding our 20th anniversary as a church fellowship. As we stand on the verge of moving into our new addition (still at least a few months down the road), and our 22nd anniversary to be celebrated in October, I have some concerns. I’m not concerned, frankly, about a doctrinal drift. We are pretty solid in our beliefs of those things which are essential. I’m not concerned about our worship becoming more of a production and concert. No light shows or spotlights here. My concern is, perhaps, more of a personal one. With the added space and expanded facility possibilities, my biggest concern is losing the closeness we have. To put it bluntly, to lose the “family” and “this feels like home” outlook.
Hence, the emphasis this fall, and the reason for me rereading the book that sort of started it all for me over 2 years ago. My personality has always been more of a shepherd. Not a CEO. It deeply concerns me that with the new space, and hopefully new people who come because of the church’s ministry and “welcome home” approach, we will lose sight of what made us what we are today. Or maybe I should say WHO made us what we are today. I make no apologies for believing in and preaching GRACE a lot. That allows us to open our doors to all sorts of people. But just preaching grace is not a guarantee of success. People are messy and some just will not turn out like we had hoped. Their life will not be changed as we (or they) had desired. But that is no reason to stop preaching and talking about and offering grace.
With God’s strength, I will never do that. I agree with what Gordon MacDonald once wrote:
The world can do almost anything as well as or better than the church. You need not be a Christian to build houses, feed the hungry, or heal the sick. There is only one thing the world cannot do. It cannot offer grace. (Feels Like Home-p.75)
As long as God gives me breath, I never want to stop talking about “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.” After all, “I am not good enough for the cross, but the cross was good enough for me.”
I don’t think that OVCF will ever lose its family feel as long as you, and others like you, are there at the core of its mission, Bill. Too many churches today are all about lights and music, forgetting that the main attraction of any worship gathering should be Jesus. Everything else is shifting sand.
Blessings!
Thanks for your kind words Martha. I pray that they will be always true-for me and for those who follow.
Whenever someone says, so and so will never change, so don’t waste your time trying to get them saved. I always think about Saul to Paul, King Manasseh, King Nebuchadnezzar, who by all accounts seemed impossible to change, and yet God changed them all. I cannot image reading the Bible without all of Paul’s insights and teachings. I am most grateful that I am not good enough for the Cross but the Cross was good enough for me. Offering grace and welcoming people into the church is always the right thing to do, there is no one that comes through the door that cannot be changed by God. There is no one in the church that is perfect, everyone needs grace over and over.
I live and base my ministry on words like yours Gail. I totally agree that no one is beyond salvation until its too late.