church

What is on Top of Your Church?

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And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. John 12:32 KJV

Have you ever wondered why most churches have a cross at the top of their steeples, or why hundreds of millions of Christians wear crosses around their necks? It certainly isn’t stated anywhere in the Bible that we are supposed to do these things – and yet we do. In fact, when we think about the events of the gospel it might seem more appropriate to put an empty tomb on the roof showing the victory of Jesus over death or a throne and declaring that He is King of the universe. And yet, there is something about the cross that attracts us to Jesus. But maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. Jesus told us that when He was lifted up that He would draw people to himself. Jesus healed lepers, multiplied bread, and walked on water but the lepers went home, the bread eaters stopped following, and even Peter who had walked on water with Him, denied knowing Him. But on the cross things began to happen that no could have imagined. At the cross, a thief believed and was promised paradise, and a Roman soldier cried out that Jesus was the Son of God. After Christ died, the once fearful Nicodemus came boldly requesting to give Jesus a proper burial. In fact, even Jesus’s enemies remembered His claim of resurrection and asked for the tomb to be guarded and sealed. Repentance and faith, remembering His words and watching the tomb all began at the cross. The cross calls for us to take a stand and helps us see and believe that Jesus is God’s Son. So, keep putting the cross where everyone can see, because Jesus has promised that when He is lifted up, that He will draw all men to Him!

Jacob’s Journey Home

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Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” Genesis 31:3 ESV

After cheating his brother and deceiving his father, Jacob had run away and spent twenty years living in Padan-Aram. Then in today’s verse, God appears to Jacob in a dream and tells him that it is time to go home. On the way, Jacob wrestled with an angel, had his name changed, and then came face to face with the brother he had cheated. But Jacob was shocked to discover that instead of revenge, Esau was ready to be reconciled with him. But Jacob still didn’t know where he belonged. He settled down for a little while and even bought some land and built an altar just outside of Canaan, but God’s plan still seemed uncertain. Now, we may have never wrestled an angel or been through the same misadventures as Jacob, but we all have had our challenges, failures, and postponed dreams. Maybe, like Jacob, we have run from our problems, and God is still wrestling with us as He works to change our hearts. Though that that wrestling leaves most of us with a permanent limp, God also leaves us with a blessing. Are you a returned prodigal still unsure of where you belong? Don’t be discouraged, God isn’t done with you yet! A few chapters later, God appeared to Jacob a second time and gave him a specific destination: a place called Bethel, which translated means the house of God. Just as Jesus told us, He has gone to prepare a place for us in Heaven, God also has a place for us here on earth. He calls each of us to our Bethel, where we can worship and serve in peace, because our hearts have come home to Him!

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Making New Connections

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Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” 1 Corinthians 12:20-21

One of the greatest challenges that many people face today is isolation. We as a society find ourselves separated by age, wealth, education and race. Sadly, this kind of segmentation is common even in the church. Our church announcements end up sounding something like this,

“The eyebrows will be meeting in room 112b on Wednesday nights, the feet are having a luncheon at noon on Saturday, and a short-term mission trip for the toes and fingers will be leaving next Sunday afternoon.”

This sort of dissection of the body of Christ seems completely natural to us because that is what we have experienced everywhere else all our lives. And though some of these specialized get-togethers are sometimes helpful, the dangers of isolation and segmentation are nowhere more pronounced than among the elderly who often find themselves in long-term care. And even in long-term care facilities the specialization that drives further isolation has been accelerating over the last ten or fifteen years. For example, those with memory issues are locked in their own ward, others no longer able to walk are placed in a separate wing, and the list goes on. Worst of all is that these people are not only isolated, but they are also usually soon forgotten by family, friends and neighbors, and even by the church. The parts of the body of Christ that God had designed to be connected to them don’t miss them because they are busy meeting with the other toes and fingers on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Today God is calling the church to do more than hold worship conferences, youth rallies and women’s conventions. God’s heart is to go out into the highways and byways, which includes the long-term care facilities in our community. For those who sense God’s calling, I am making a short book called, “New Frontiers in Nursing Home Ministry,” available for free in its Kindle format all this week.