Welcome to the conversation

After one of my first attempts at blogging someone made a comment, "welcome to the conversation." He was responding to my Blog that emphasized the need to rethink some of the ways we do church. The more and more I read, the more I appreciate the wisdom in that comment. I have come to the realization that this whole idea of rethinking church is really just a series of conversations. This way of thinking is articulated well in the book I am currently reading "Adventures in Missing the Point" by McClaren and Campolo. In this book each author writes a chapter and the other responds to the chapter. Sometimes they respond in defense of key points and other times they challenge them.

Here is a parable McClaren quotes while presenting ideas on Salvation. This parable stirred up some great conversation between Kristen and I, and hopefully it will make you think as well.

The parable of the race.

This is the response of people who have just been informed of a race which will have no end and will end boredom and be exciting.

"Excitement grew as the day of the race drew near. Thousands gathered in the appointed town, at the appointed place. Most came to observe, skeptical about the news. "Its too good to be true," they said. "It'sg just a silly rumor started by some teenage troublemakers. But let's stick around and see what happens anyways."

Others could not resist the invitation, arriving in their running shorts and shoes. As they waited for the appointed time, they stretched and jogged in place and chattered among themselves with nervous excitement. At the appointed time they gathered at the starting line, heard the gun go off, and knew it was time to run.
Then something very curious happened. The runners took a step or two or three across the starting line, and then abruptly stopped. One man fell to his knees, crying, "I have crossed the starting line! This is the happiest day of my life!" He repeated this again and again, and even began singing a song about how happy this day was for him.

Another woman started jumping for joy. "Yes!" she shouted, raising her fist in the air. "I am a race-runner! I am finally a race runner!" She ran around jumping and dancing, getting and giving high fives to others who shared her joy at being in the race.

Several people formed a circle and prayed, quietly thanking God for the privilege of crossing the starting line, and thanking God that they were not like the skeptics who didn't even come dressed for the race.

An hour passed, and two. Spectators began muttering: some laughed. "So what do they think this race is?" they said. "Two or three strides, then a celebration? And why do they feel superior to us? They're treating the starting line as if it were a finish line. They've completely missed the point." A few more minutes of this silence passed. "You know," a spectator said to the person next to her, "if there not going to run the race, may be we should."

Others heard them, and soon many were kicking off their dress shoes, slipping out of their jackets, throwing all this unneeded clothing on the grass. And they ran-past the praying huddles and past the crying individuals and past the jumping high-fivers. And they found hope and joy in every step, and they grew stronger with every mile and hill. To their surprise, the path never ended-because in this race, there was no finish line. So they were never bored again.

IS SALVATION A ONE-TIME EXPERIENCE OR IS IT A LIFELONG JOURNEY?

When I read this passage, I first thought of which type of person I was, and then which type of people we have been developing in our churches. This parable has really challenged me in my personal walk but more importantly in the way I should share my faith and disciple those around me.

PEACE

PS I probably shouldn't be writing blogs this late at night but oh well I apologize for the many grammatical errors which I am sure I will find tomorrow morning when I read it over.