When that first came across my Twitter feed two nights ago, I wept.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJDqVx3RlzI
This is so disheartening to me. I am not upset or hurt by the volunteer who did this, they acted in a way that they gathered is the appropriate response in their setting. I’m kinda upset with Elevation Church but not really surprised; they do what the American church setting has told them they must do to attract and communicate to people the story of Jesus. They way to “success” is bigger & better, and so as I learned in organizational dynamics:
Your system is perfectly designed to give you the output that you are getting.
This hurts me because it is just an indicator to me of what we value. I have seen situations like this before in other churches where I was on staff. They just didn’t make to the media. The world was probably a tad different then. It bothered me then and now it saddens or disheartens me. It actually makes me shake my head and wonder if we’ll ever get it.
I am disheartened for the family…
*Whether we mean to or not we often value people by what they do…how they perform. In my conversations with families who have a family member with unique needs or challenges this them as often come up. The questions of value and purpose and the way that others often unknowingly devalue them.
The question: “What is my worth?” …It’s a tough one for all of us…one we all face daily.
For some of us due to illness, injury, decisions, influences in and beyond our control the question is tougher.
So, what was communicated to Jackson and to his family about his and their value?
How does Jackson now learn to understand who God really is?
How does Jackson now learn to understand who the church is to be?
Was there really someone or something in the room more important than them?
What was it – this thing most valued?
Does God care about some people more than others?
Will this family feel safe returning to this church or to any other faith community?
(I don’t know their full story so this may not be as big a deal as we are thinking but at the same time it could be even bigger. We cannot discount the whispers of evil one as he without fail will try to capitalize on this situation…sewing seeds of fear, doubt, isolation. Also, I hope I am not coming across as evaluating Elevation Church. This situation could happen in any congregation in a blink of an eye. My remarks and thoughts are intended for the system that yielded this situation and for the principals that this system is communicating are important.)
I am disheartened for the church…
*Because now, will other families in similar circumstances now choose to stay at home.
*Because Elevation Church is just expressing a symptom of an illness that plagues the American evangelical church.
It’s not just them. They are not a great evil looking to harm families. I hope no one thinks that but they like most American churches and Christians have fallen prey to the idea that our cathedrals of lasers, lights, smoke, and screens are what communicate the gospel.
“People have to have this to really feel it…to get it.”
“Excellence is what we’re about! God would want that from us. We’re giving him our best.”
“People can’t learn without the gimmicks.”
Some how the need for the “Ah Ha” moment is greater than the need for a love that was exhibited to oh say Mephibosheth.
I have learned from my own journey that there is a fine fine line between doing all we can to teach and the feeding of the experiential or emotional needs of our congregations. If our churches are just giving people an experience with a good lesson, then we are nothing more than street dealers giving them the crack they need to not fall a part. That’s not the gospel.
I love creativity; I love “Ah Ha” moments; and I love the music & the arts but NOT at the expense of relationships or showing EVERYONE who enters into my sphere of influence that they are precious in the Savior’s sight.
They are more important than I am
I am to be Jesus to them
They are Jesus to me.
I hate that our systems produce moments like this and long for us to have Acts to moments where we have the favor of all the people (2v47).
I’m also disheartened for the church…
*Because we are well on our way to our cool auditoriums being our very own cathedrals of Europe. Except they’ll be gutted and ugly because they materials aren’t as good & we’ll dump the gear on Craigslist to help pay for the next magic bullet.
*Because we some how think Jesus would have given approval to this. We know this because,
…all of the children who came to him were perfect. 
…none of the people who came to him were sick, injured, infectious, or cried out unexpectedly.
…when Jesus spoke of the least of these he wasn’t talking about a young man with a challenging physical condition he was just talking about the people that I write checks to help out every so often.
…Jesus told us the most important thing that we do as believers is to worship! Worship him! It’s all about the worship!
(Okay I made the last one up. A personal bur in my saddle is that Jesus never tells us to worship him or have worship services. He says…look like me (paraphrase). He does attend synagogue services which were much more liturgical so to speak than our modern evangelical services. There are stories of attending the festivals, but there were only a handful of those a year and they are far sure not the point of Jesus’ ministry, but it is the center piece of ours. I am not saying we shouldn’t have worship services. Jesus is beyond our words and our hearts should cry out to acknowledge this but I also know that it is easier to worship/sing than it is to worship/serve or worship/give. Worship/sing requires little of us; it makes us feel good’ heck, most of the time it’s pretty cool; it is an easy check off for our weekly check in with God. It’s not enough)
We will continue to escalate the experience and as we spend more we will expect more.
*Because if the Good News is not good news for EVERYONE, then it’s not good news.
*Because in this story and in most churches a small few get to determine how the masses get to respond to the workings of the Holy Spirit.
*Because maybe God was speaking through Jackson & it was missed.
*Because we as adults do not have the patience, maturity or compassion to handle these kinds of situations. Our “drop our kids off” mentality is really hurting us here. (Let someone else deal with it/them. just don’t mess up my worship/emotional experience.)
*Because this didn’t surprise me at all. (Gonna finish my thoughts on this tomorrow.)
Peace ~
