Empire and Pain

Last week I had the privilege of facilitating a meeting with the leadership of a local church. The elders and the staff were present. It was a discussion unearthing the ideas and principles they use as guidance for day-to-day decisions for ministry.

Some of the words are words you hear often in this kind of thing. When asked what do you value? Answers like Community. Relationships. Unity. Innovation. Popped up.

Then the lead pastor dropped these on the group.

Pain.

Sacrifice.

Then someone said something like this. "The central figure in our [the church's] story is Jesus and he was killed. We are called to follow him, to take up our cross.

It interesting that often what motivates day to day decisions in a church.
Practically it might be words like efficiency or tradition or pacification of important people.

Or maybe even power, competition, influence, authority, might, affluence, comfort, complacency, consumption.

In Jesus' day Empire ruled with abuse and misuse of power, it was competitive, political, militeristic and consumptive.

Today is really no different. At least the world I live in. America.

I'll just go right out and say it. (it's probably not news to you.)

Many of our churches today have bought to the values of Empire more than the values of Jesus. Certainly this is often under the guise of reaching people. But Empires don't reach people and they never have.

The people of Jesus are called to live an alternative reality of sacrifice and live an alternative reality within the empire.

Many churches embrace values of Empire, which are contrary to Jesus, in fact, they are the reasons empire wanted him dead.

thoughts?