What does the Devil look like? The answer is probably “more like us than we want to believe.”
We like the idea that we can recognize the Devil. We create a visual vocabulary so that we know the devil when we see him (or her). Isaac Louis in the 1600s shows a female devil tempting Christ.
There are centuries of art depicting the devil that engages Christ in the desert with horns, wings (the fallen angel) and a tail. The devil is wicked; anyone can tell just by looking.
The art above the headline shows the three scenes of temptation as depicted in St. Mark’s Basilica. It is straightforward in telling the three encounters with the Devil.
Most religious art becomes sparser in detail in the modern era as is evident in last month’s religious art post about the Transfiguration. Nevertheless, here are two very complex and contemporary depictions that are fascinating in detail. The triptych at the end of this post was found on the web about five years ago. I believe it was by an Episcopalian artist. Details could not be found now.
The second is by James B. Janknegt, a contemporary religious artist from Texas. The complexity of this depiction is fascinating. Study it. It was painted in 1990.
The devil is not as easily recognized and the desert is the world we know so well.
The pope has resigned—the first time in 600 years a pope has stepped down before being called on the carpet by his Boss.
Joseph Ratzinger’s legacy as pope has drawn many comments that are less than gracious. They reveal disillusion and anger at hierarchy for ignoring pain and wrongdoing in the parishes for decades.
Ignoring isn’t the right word. They didn’t ignore the problems. They protected themselves and their clergy brethren at the expense of the weak and powerless.
Every six comments or so a supporter will speak up for the pope or the church, but their reasoning is not getting much traction.
The response over all was “Who cares.”
We suspect a great many care. People are just tired of their care being used. They are being driven from the Church they love and want to keep loving.
A movie was made shortly after the death of Pope John Paul II. It is an Italian film, subtitled in English. It is a charming story of the naming of a papal successor. Fictitious to be sure, but fiction often serves a realistic purpose. It is called in English “We Have A Pope.” Now might be a good time to rent it and review it. The sequestered College of Cardinals might take two hours and watch it before they begin deliberating.
I saw it about six months ago in a local theater. I had never before been to a movie that brought such cross criticism from the audience as they left the theater — from some viewers anyway. They didn’t like the ending, which I won’t reveal here.
I thought the ending was hopeful and the movie leading up to the ending was delightful — and I’m not a fan of subtitled movies.
The church faces many serious questions. These questions don’t tend to be asked within the church for obvious reasons. But the questions are out there and the answers are buried in the discontent that is revealed in the reaction to the current news.
All these questions can be summed up in just one:
Do we need a pope?
Perhaps the job should remain open for a while to see what is actually needed from those who find themselves leading the faithful. The faithful who invest their time, offerings, passion and very salvation following the teachings of hierarchy deserve this reevaluation.
Today’s object is a magnet. Magnets are best known for their ability to attract. They can repel but in the end we think of magnets as pulling things toward them.
We often think temptation is the magnet drawing us from the straight and narrow. But the magnet can also draw us back to God.
Use the magnet as you talk to dramatize the repelling nature of the devil and the way the magnet of Scripture and God’s promises keep drawing Jesus and us back. Its power overcomes temptation. You might have someone role play the three temptations and have them drawn toward the magnet, which might be draped over a cross. Or you might have three metallic objects representing each temptation and one by one have them drawn toward the magnet.
The story of the temptation of Christ is a story of drawing Jesus to his mission. The attempt to repel is there but the magnet just keeps drawing Jesus back to focus, back to mission, back to his relationship with his Father.
The first temptation laid before Christ is to think of himself and his own needs and comfort. Jesus responds, “Man does not live by bread alone.” That’s not what I’m about, in other words.
The second temptation is power. “It’s all yours for one low price. Worship me.” Jesus answers again, “That’s not what I’m about.”
The third temptation is an offering from the Devil. “Take the easy way, Jesus. No need to suffer, if that’s what you have in mind. The angels will spare you.”
And Jesus is drawn back to Scripture. “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
Today’s visit was our first visit to a new congregation since we visited Trinity, Lansdale, in early January. We have made a couple of repeat visits—we don’t count them in our tally.
We attended St. David’s 11 am service, which their website claims is popular. It is a praise style worship service with a two-piece band. Nine church members sat together in the front and helped lead the music—all of which was of modern style. We knew a few of the praise songs but not all.
The service skipped a good bit of the liturgy although most elements were present. The Old Testament lesson, Psalm and Epistle lessons were skipped. So was the creed, although it was listed in the bulletin and was probably skipped by accident.
Replacing these were many praise songs.
The sanctuary is small and Spartan but tasteful in decor. Some Christmas imagery remained, appropriate for the last Sunday in Epiphany. The pastor, The Rev. Kevin Hilgendorf, explained that the angels and lights would disappear by next Sunday and the beginning of Lent.
There were about 60 in worship—just one family with young children and a few older youth. Generally the mix of ages was good. 60 fills the sanctuary pretty well.
The band leader led most of worship and did well. The congregation seemed to be very appreciative and cooperative.
This church seemed to have very close ties to the synod, which we frankly don’t see very often. Pastor Hilgendorf is a dean, a position which was once volunteer but is now paid by the synod. We think this is a major flaw in the reorganization of the 1980s as the deans are no longer independent and serving the congregations but are on the synod payroll and are thus biased.
There was a photo of Bishop Burkat in the narthex. It would never occur to anyone at Redeemer to put a bishop’s portrait in the narthex.
The pastor announced an upcoming event to meet the bishop.
Their website states that it was updated in January, but the most recent photos on the site were several years old.
There was mention of a generous gift that would help them with a certain expenditure and a deficit was mentioned. (Redeemer was not operating with a deficit.)\
Communion—Celebrating Unity — Except . . .
There was a scene at Communion. One of the children—Joshua, about three years old— insisted on being served communion. The pastor explained after the fact that although this is against the rules, there really was nothing wrong with it. It was easily accepted by the congregation. We say, way to go, Joshua!
It reminded us of one of our children, now grown. Redeemer made no issue of age at the communion rail. If a visiting pastor passed over a child, offering only a blessing, someone was likely to divide the host presented to them and hand it to the child. Our little member was not much older than Joshua when he was passed over by a pastor in a church the family was visiting. He returned to his seat with his family, fussing that he had been excluded. He made such a fuss that a stranger sitting in front of him turned and handed him a Tootsie Roll. The boy was doubly offended. “I don’t want that! he cried, refusing to be silenced with a bribe. He pushed his way into the aisle, intent on returning to the communion rail. He noticed that communion was over. “Oh, no!” he cried in despair. “Now they are putting it away, and I didn’t get any.” Redeemer members are spirited from the start!
Why do we teach exclusion? Communion really has little to do with understanding. The whole idea of communion passes all understanding. Joshua understood well enough! Redeemer knows how he feels! We’ve been excluded for four years — and not treated very well for years before that.
Passing the Peace
Before communion, as is usual, there was the passing of the peace. This is always difficult for our members but we are usually gracious in accepting the “Peace of God” from people who are part of the travesty the synod has visited upon our community, our congregation, and our individual members. Being passed the peace when there is no effort to work toward peace is troubling.
We know that the members of these churches often don’t know what’s going on. They accept without question what is told to them by synod officials. But the pastors know! We’ve made sure of that. It amazes us that the deliverers of the Good News have been content to let their actions, taken originally in ignorance perhaps, continue to go unchecked and unexamined while real pain is inflicted on the members of our congregation.
And so this morning one of our Ambassadors was overcome and left the sanctuary at the Passing of the Peace. When asked if she was all right, she said only, “I’m just fed up.”
And well she should be. This ambassador gave generously to her church, placing everything she has on the line to benefit the mission of the church. (Not unlike the story of the widow’s mite.) SEPA Synod walked in and scuttled the well-laid plans for ministry growth — eager to assume our assets in the face of their own $275,000 recurring deficit.
As the conflict grew — with never ANY attempt to try to work with our congregation — SEPA Synod has been content to allow her to suffer — to even lose her home and income as they smugly assert their rights which were not given to them by law but by the courts deferring to separation of church and state. The appellate court stated clearly that if the law were applied, Redeemer’s arguments should prevail.
Every SEPA congregation should be alarmed. But they are not under attack. It’s not happening to them, so they don’t care.
And so this good and caring Redeemer member, who sought NO personal gain, who wanted ONLY to help her church, has for the last four years faced the very real threat of losing her home. Her modest retirement income has been wasted by unnecessary legal fees (because SEPA can’t work with its churches without hiding behind the courts and separation of church and state).
This was our 55th visit. 54 churches have demonstrated that they do not care beyond the ritual words said in worship. 54 churches are among the 160 who followed leaders blindly. Several of them are now closed, too! And today this one Ambassador, when passed a meaningless peace, was fed up.
It’s a shame. The people of St. David’s seemed to be friendly and well-intentioned enough. But it is time for them and other churches (with equally kind-hearted members) to realize that it is up to them to control the actions of their leaders.
More Church Closings
Let’s Celebrate?
We saw in the bulletin that SEPA is closing another congregation. This one, Holy Spirit, was served by one of our pastor’s wives. The Rev. Sandra Brown serves on the Synod Council. Our last pastor, The Rev. Timothy Muse, also served on the Synod Council, disappearing shortly after Bishop Burkat was elected and shortly before she made her first moves on Redeemer. Pardon us for being suspicious of such connections. Caretaker ministries are an accepted strategy to wear down unsuspecting congregations who think they have called a minister to help them, while the synod’s understanding is that these caretakers will do nothing to help the church turn things around. They are serving as a prelude to closure — although its never described this way to the members paying the salaries.
We know nothing about Holy Spirit. We haven’t visited that church. They don’t have a web site and we tend to visit churches with web sites—as do most people, by the way.
We wonder if they have been neglected as so many small churches are. We wonder if they are victims of Bishop Burkat’s theory that churches have to be stripped of their heritage and started over under her control.
(A strategy is to give congregations “mission” status. The congregations think this is special help, but it really means that if efforts fail, the synod can claim their property. Clever! The congregations lose the rights to their property and they never saw it coming!)
Closing churches is not to be celebrated. It is usually caused by the failure of church professionals to provide the services necessary to grow a congregation.
The grand closing worship service has become a ritual to excuse poor performance.
Many congregations are interested in adding Social Media to their ministries. And so they dabble. They find someone to start a Facebook page. They lean back and relax. That’s done. Innovation isn’t so hard, after all!
Here’s the thing about Social Media.
Social Media is more than Facebook. Much more!
If your congregation embraces Social Media it will mean everything changes.
Social Media, fully embraced, is not a simple add-on — like adding an extra worship service.
It is transforming.
Transforming? Isn’t that what our church leaders have been demanding of congregations for the last decade with little definition of exactly what they mean?
Social Media—fully embraced—will affect every aspect of your ministry in positive and profound ways.
People need to be prepared. The only way to prepare people is to involve them and encourage flexibility. It helps to actually get started!
My family had lunch today in a historic inn along the famous Lincoln Highway. We got to talking about the history of the highway. It seems the opening of this newfangled cross-continental roadway that followed the introduction of the automobile came with no small amount of angst.
The big fear was that the horses of the early 20th century would not be happy.
Unhappy horses meant unhappy drivers.
A plan was developed.
Step 1: Prepare the horses. Warn them. Something new is coming.
Early drivers of horseless carriages were encouraged to carry flares with them. Upon approaching a horse-drawn carriage, they were to shoot up a warning flare. (Bet that went over big!)
Step 2: Protect the horses’ sense of security.
If horses were not reassured by flares (and why would they be?), then drivers were encouraged to carry camouflage. At the sight of a distressed horse, they should be prepared to pull to the side of the road and drape their automobile with a sheet designed to make the car disappear into the surroundings. What the horse doesn’t see will not be scary.
Step 3: Dismantle the horseless carriage.
If a horse is still disturbed by its new competition, drivers should be prepared to dismantle their automobile and hide the pieces along the side of the road until the horse passes as if nothing has changed.
All of this is, of course, absurd — especially to us Pennsylvanians who share the roads with our Amish neighbors. The horses seem to have adapted!
But this is a typical agenda for those who fear change.
Warn people of innovation.
Protect them from innovation.
Be prepared to dismantle all the progress and benefits possible from innovation at the first sign of distress (real or imaginary).
Churches intent on incorporating social media must be prepared to meet the same sorts of resistance.
It will mean doing things very differently — across the board. The very structure of church will change.
Expect something like this:
Social Media is clearly too much work for one pastor. But pastors are used to controlling communication in the church. Lay people cannot be expected to handle so much responsibility. Best to wait. And wait. And wait.
What do we do if Social Media actually works and lots of new people join a church? (This was a problem Redeemer was dealing with as 49 people joined in one year.) What if those 49 people become a voting block with the potential to ruin any plans made before they joined. Our congregation was dealing with this issue head-on and making progress. But our denomination, intent on Redeemer failing so they could claim our property, couldn’t deal with change they hadn’t orchestrated. They skipped right to Step 3: Dismantle everything! They kicked out the 49 new members along with the 25 or so older members and locked the church doors.
These are real problems but they are good problems that need solutions. Dismantling everything because things aren’t like they used to be is just plain silly—and it is counter to Christian mission.
Fortunately, there are real solutions waiting to be discovered.
The automobile is now the norm.
The new church that arises from the use of Social Media will soon be the norm, too — and it all may happen just in time to save the mainline church.
Social Media is the greatest evangelism tool the Church fails to embrace.
It’s never a priority, so it never gets done.
If it is attempted, it is relegated to volunteers who follow their interests and skills in their available time. There is no plan or accountability. If your congregation has an especially skilled volunteer with dedication, you are lucky.
We live in the information age. It is time for churches to recognize that church communicators are people with valuable and specialized skills. They have the best potential to help congregations of any size to grow.
Communications has become a skilled specialty. Church communicators should be key members of any ministry team. Compensation should be considered. Otherwise, the work is likely to be inconsistent and potentially detrimental to ministry.
But churches are structured to pay pastors, organists, musicians, secretaries and sextons first. There is rarely money left for other skills—no matter how vital they have become as the world has changed.
In the day of the mimeograph or photocopier, communications was expected to be a skill set of the pastor with the assistance, perhaps, of the church secretary and maybe a committee that might meet once a month. Most communication took place before well-filled pews. It became the Church way because it was the ONLY way. Good-bye yesterday.
Communications today requires daily attention. This is good news!
The potential for Church Communicators to influence ministry has grown beyond exponentially.
It is beyond the skill set and/or time availability of most pastors. Without a plan or structure and only the expectations of volunteer efforts, effective communications mission work is unlikely. Congregations will wallow in unfulfilled potential.
A major mission of any congregation is to TELL THE STORY of Jesus and His love AND to tell THEIR STORY.
That requires planning and skill.
We’ll tell part of our Communications Story in the next few posts.
Business people know marketing jargon, so when they meet up at a networking event, they know that when someone asks them if they are B to B or B to C, they are being asked if their business serves other businesses (B to B) or if their business serves consumers (B to C).
This language doesn’t apply much to the church world — or does it? The national church and the regional bodies are B to B. They are a church Body serving another church Body.
Congregations are more B to C. Their church Body serves individual Christians.
The concept is worth examining with fresh eyes and maybe a twist on this old business analogy.
The Church is actually C to C in two different ways.
Congregation to Congregation. Historically, the church has been very weak in congregations communicating, sharing and serving one another. There are token niceties exchanged at seminars and assemblies, but generally, it’s every congregation for itself. Pastoral turf and competition for members block the doorway for inter-church cooperation. They pull together to save money on church supplies, but that’s where cooperation often ends.
For the Evangelism Tools of the Future to Work this MUST Change
Social Media, the greatest evangelism tool the church has ever encountered, both creates and depends on connectedness. Congregations now need to work together. Without inter-church cooperation, which includes pastors cooperating, efforts at social media will quickly peter out.
Social Media thrives on content. Individual congregations are going to be challenged in feeding the content beast. But if they start working with other congregations, they will expand their possibilities.
How will this work? Here’s a possible scenario.
Lutheran youth in our area are planning a mission trip to an Indian Reservation. This common venture is supported by member churches and their individual youth groups.
An individual congregation might put an article on their website or newsletter announcing the project. They might put a donate button as a call to action — and that would be that.
A more ambitious approach would be to learn as much about the project and the people they hope to serve and start TELLING THE STORY.
The content promoting this might include interviews with the youth as they prepare for the trip. They might be asked questions about their expectations, what they hope to accomplish. Church A might post two or three short videos with youth answers. Church B might do the same thing.
Then Church A links to Church B and vice versa. (Add Churches C, D, E, etc.)
Why go to this trouble?
Because more gives a fuller picture, more is more interesting and more interaction attracts search engines—for everyone!
There will be a temptation to not do this, hoping that by telling just your congregation’s story, you’ll encourage anyone inclined to click a donate button and that contribution will come to your congregation.
That narrow view will cause you to miss out on the evangelism potential of the moment.
Here’s what could happen.
Members of Church A—beginning with the youth themselves—are loyal and check the web site to see their youth talk about the upcoming trip. They end up clicking the links to Church B and Church C. Connections have been made between the parishes. They are starting to know one another.
Members of Church A and Church B share the link to family and friends. Some of them send donations. They share the link, too.
Meanwhile, the local friends of the youth have checked up on them. They become interested and ask to come along. The youth group grows!
Meanwhile, the Indian youth in South Dakota see the videos. They comment and send a welcome message or make their own video and direct it to the youth they are looking forward to meeting in a few months. Dialog between the youth starts. When they eventually meet, they already know one another.
Meanwhile, a local church from a poorer neighborhood sees what the youth in richer congregations are doing. They lament that their youth could never afford to go on a trip like that. They’d have to raise funds in a neighborhood with little to give. One enterprising mother decides their kids are not going to be left out. She contacts the churches that are having fundraisers and makes arrangements for several of the youth from their church to help with the fundraising efforts so they would have the experience of initiating a mission effort instead of being the recipients of mission efforts. This is life-changing for the young people in both congregations.
Also meanwhile, a youth group in Texas has happened upon the videos. They visited the Indian Reservation a few years ago and recognize some of the Indian youth who have commented. They invite people to come to Texas next summer to help with an outreach ministry in Hispanic neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, meanwhile, meanwhile — there’s no limit on parallel interactions.
This is the tip of the mission iceberg. Maybe no one clicked the donate button and your congregation lost $20. The value of the interconnectedness paid off in far greater ways.
Yesterday’s post was no sooner launched than it drew four “likes.” An earlier post also drew a “like” in the same time frame, which was just few minutes. Thank you, readers.
But according to the site’s stats we had received only one visitor in that time frame. They couldn’t all be looking at the site on the same computer. The readers were in several time zones. Do the statistic elves hoard the numbers for delivery at one time? The fact that four of the “likes” were for a post that had just been published suggests not.
It is unlikely that the stats record fewer views than your site receives, although there may be some generic pings from scam mills. In general, your site is likely to have more readers than you realize.
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Redeemer’s Prayer
We were all once strangers, the weakest, the outcasts, until someone came to our defense, included us, empowered us, reconciled us (1 Cor. 2; Eph. 2).
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On Isaiah 30:15b
Be calm. Wait. Wait. Commit your cause to God. He will make it succeed. Look for Him a little at a time. Wait. Wait. But since this waiting seems long to the flesh and appears like death, the flesh always wavers. But keep faith. Patience will overcome wickedness.
—Martin Luther