“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23:5-6, NIV)
Going to church weekly continues to challenge my Christianity. Not because the leadership is delivering sermons that “disturb the comfortable”. They aren’t. Truthfully, I am not certain to what extent they are giving comfort to the disturbed. Increasingly, it is a subtle emotional boost, at best.
In the verses referenced above, we are told that God prepares a table for us—a feast in some translations. Sadly, the point is often (in my humble opinion) lost in churches, today. It often leads to a “prosperity gospel”—to the notion that God provides for our personal salvation. I believe he does this, but I believe we neglect to carry this on to the reality that “God is love”—more specifically, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (I John 4:8, NIV).
I prefer to move from a me-centered faith (a faith that dwells on “personal salvation”, “personal blessing”, and “personal relationship”—a transactional faith) to a more other-centered faith (a faith that is relational—a faith that is transformational). The feast that is prepared for us, after all, is not a gluttonous all-you-can eat buffet. Rather, it is a shared celebration—shared even with one’s enemies (imagine that). We are taught (or should be taught) to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44, NIV). We see rather little of this in our “Christian” society. I say this as a personal condemnation.
I need little help focusing on my relationship with Jesus. I do, however, need regular reminding of my relationship with the Universal Christ—that there is something greater than self. I need to be reminded to be other-centered.
When my son was an infant, my wife and I had the opportunity to visit Alistair Begg’s Parkside Church outside of Cleveland, Ohio. (We learned later that it happened to be the church my cousin attended.) It was a stark contrast to the church we were attending in Michigan, at the time, where I would often have to ask “Excuse me” repeatedly for people to allow a path for me to carry my son to the restroom for changing. At Parkside, we were immediately impressed by the congregation’s awareness of others. They seemed to have a sense of people around them. Without having to ask, people moved out of the way (sometimes, seemingly, without looking), and we were often asked if we could be helped. It was (sadly) amazing. It was what we should expect of those of us who would believe that we are called by God.
Faith is calling me to something bigger than religion. I often resist the calling, but I want to be other-centered. I want to be relational—to be the “hands and feet of God”—and be focused on the festival rather than the feast (food).
If we focus on receiving God’s blessing, we are sure to be disappointed. If, instead, we focus on being God’s blessing, God will not disappoint.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!