Kedo Peseyie
This young man was dynamic and zealous. He was sitting opposite me in my room that morning. He is an active member of his church. He is the kind of person who will never turn away from his faith. I admired him for that.
We were having a casual conversation about our churches that morning. What he said took me by surprise: “My church is a den of thieves and hypocrites”. I was tempted to reply, “That surely includes you, doesn’t it?” Of course I didn’t. I did not know him well enough to say that without offending him. I only tried to make him understand that the church—with all the imperfections of its members—is a body of believers saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, touched and empowered by the Holy Spirit and commissioned by God the Father to usher in the Kingdom of God in this world. The point is that when we say “the body of believers”, we mean every believer, and all kinds of believers. The bible talks about heavenly riches in “jars of clay”. And clay is not the best material we find around us. God in His great love and mercy refuses to leave out even the “thieves and hypocrites”.
But alas, this becomes our problem. In the parable of the Prodigal son, we find that the elder brother could not reconcile with the fact that his father accepts sinners into the house. The story ends with the elder brother still outside the house. This story is not only about a wayward son and a loving father, but also an indictment on those who pass judgement on the sinners entering their house. If holiness and perfection was a criterion to enter the Kingdom of God, none of us would qualify.
By no means am I trying to compromise on the standards set by God, nor am I trying to propagate cheap grace which could pollute the system of God’s ordinances. But let’s face the truth together. I believe at the very foundation of the church we find grace - abundant and amazing grace demonstrated by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. That was the beginning and the foundation, not St Peter. Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code went as far as St Peter and shook some pillars of the “male-dominated” church, but the foundation is still left unmoved and unshaken. No worries there. But there is a more serious concern which should worry us. This unmovable and unshakable foundation of the Christian church should shake us out of our dusty thought-forms, and move us into the radical world of grace and forgiveness. Sadly, we don’t get to experience this abundant and amazing grace in our churches very often. We do see judgement, condemnation, critical and cynical attitudes present in some services. These experiences do not urge us to change our behaviours and motivations, but they cripple us and entrench us deeper into our present situation. A genuine experience of this abundant and amazing grace is what we need to have more often. Dallas Willard said, “nothing inspires and enhances effort more than the experience of grace”. Freedom begins with grace. But freedom ends when grace is abused and misused. Grace is not about listening to the pastor’s sermon no matter how boring. Grace is not about allowing people to continue in their little pleasures of sin. But grace is about being disturbed enough to speak out the truth in love (not in anger), because we care about something or someone so dearly. Grace is not silent. It was so loud and so penetrating and so violent too that the cry of grace from Calvary reverberates throughout history. Typical, how we still miss it. Why resort to judgements when grace is the better way and the only way out!
Unfortunately, the judgemental outcry of this young man represents the sentiments of many people both within and outside the church. Actually I see it as bondage, a killjoy. It takes a gracious spirit to enjoy the world and the people around you. It takes a gracious spirit to hope for the best, and to release things that are not within our grasp. It takes a gracious spirit to break our snobbishness and selfishness, to see beyond our interests and see the needs of others. It takes a gracious spirit in you to make people still want to listen to you when you are speaking the uncomfortable truth. And to me, the church ought to exemplify this graciousness.
The church is often called the bride of Christ. I smiled when I realised that the Bible doesn’t say “wife” of Christ. It says bride. A bride on her wedding day is the centre of attraction. She is the epitome of graciousness and beauty. The smile on her face stays there for the whole day. She attracts, commands and delights. They praise her at night and envy her. A wife is still beautiful, of course. But I must admit that she looks a little “different” in the dirty apron, the unkempt hair, the occasional frowns and brawls. Now they gossip about her and sometimes pity her. Have we ceased to be the bride and become the wife instead?
Any church is far from perfect. That includes the church I belong to. But over the years I have learned to enjoy and love my church with all its shortcomings, discrepancies, and yes, a lot of its strengths too.
When I am in my church I see a diversity of beautiful people. There is that lady who sells vegetables on the streets on weekdays. She looks comfortable and happy sitting on the pew on Sunday. When I see her on the other weekdays selling her vegetables on the streets, she still greets me with the same smile. It warms my heart.
Then sitting on another pew nearby is that renowned politician who walks the corridors of power and makes decisions that could alter the face of Nagaland for the coming years. Then there is that filthy rich contractor, the strict academician, the ever smiling dentist, the widow, et al.
Then there is that college student who did not have enough money to buy a Bible. He borrowed my NIV Bible for two years. When I told him at the end of the second year that he could keep it, I was more blessed than he was. Then there is that young man who brings a Bible every Sunday even though he cannot read or write.
They all come and they are all comfortable. Some people call it a church for the rich. Others may even call it a church for the poor. But to me it is the place where I grew up and learned that it doesn’t matter whether one is rich or poor, powerful or inert, influential or insignificant. There is a place where everyone can feel comfortable, welcome and significant. It is the place that is near to the heart of God. Some people call that place a Baptist church, or a Revival church, or a Charismatic church. I prefer to call it the fellowship of believers where snobbishness shies away, where wealth doesn’t count, where truth is unashamedly in love with graciousness, where heavenly riches is poured out into shaky jars of clay.
And like I said, my church is not perfect. There will be some hypocrites, and maybe some thieves too. But we have this graciousness to pray for better days, to wait and to hope for the best, to see changes in ourselves and those around us. And while we wait, we don’t condemn ourselves or each other. Only God can bring about that change we so eagerly desire. After all it’s His church and we need to give Him a free hand to work on it the way He wants to. He is restoring it and working through it. It is not perfect, and neither am I. But His grace is evident. He established it, loves it and died for it. And that’s why I love my church.
