I walked out of church today!

Well this weekend my dad, my son, and I took our annual trip up north to take in a Lions game. What a great time we have doing this...it is so good to spend this time with my dad and I know Austin will have memories to last a lifetime. Our pattern over the last few years is to head up on Saturday and goof around Michigan for a few hours and then head to the hotel just south of Detroit for the night. Then we get up early Sunday morning and head into downtown Detroit and find a place to park. We walk around a little bit and Austin and I toss a football. Then we head to church at a United Methodist church right next to the ballpark for worship. The service starts at 10AM and is over in time for us to head to the game.

Last year we had an OK experience at this church. It has a very traditional downtown church facade. It is extremely old and the congregation sadly has dwindled over the years to around 60 people. The service itself was very traditional and was OK at best. This year however it was quit and interesting experience. The person leading the liturgy was slow and deliberate...it was kind of awkward. They took 20 minutes just for announcements and made all first time visitors stand up while everyone else claps. During the prayer time the pastor proceeded to tell us all we should get out and vote...and then it came...he stood there and basically told us who to vote for and how this was the most important election in history. He told us that we should talk to our "white" friends and let them know that it is OK for them to vote for a "black man" for president. I think I felt my jaw hitting the floor. I leaned over and asked my dad if I heard him correctly because I was so shocked. My dad confirmed it and I was really upset. So upset I leaned over to my dad and Austin and said we are leaving. We walked out and stood there for awhile on the street corner and talked.

I can't tell you how distasteful it is to me that a pastor would use the God given gift of the pulpit and a congregation that He's entrusted them with for political purposes. I was reminded of Jeremiah Wright and his political slant when he teaches. I mean, in these cases does the pastor believe that everyone in their congregation is of the same political persuasion? It is my personal experience especially today that partisanship from the pulpit is inflammatory at best, and takes the focus from Jesus at its worst. Secondly, my dad looked at me and asked if I thought this guy was suggesting that if a "white" person didn't vote for and African American president that they were racist? I told him that I hadn't thought of it before like that...but part of what he said rang true. It just disgusted me...For me I realize that politics is such a fiery issue that when it comes up most people are so passionate that all other focus is lost. Especially on what matters most and that is Christ. That is why I never bring it up from the pulpit on Sunday's because we have both Democrats and Republicans coming to our church and I don't what people to lose there focus, Jesus. I also want people to feel welcome no matter what their political views are. Safe to say I didn't feel welcome at that church.

However, God spoke to my heart to go back in and worship Him. After all as I looked at my dad as we figured out what to do I said, "I just want to worship this morning." So, that is exactly what we did. We went back inside and sat through the rest of the service. Then it got even more interesting. The pastor's sermon was all about how much their church and other churches in Detroit had been dying...how Detroit had been dying and changing for the worse. The pastor talked about a revitalization committee who was created to figure out how to grow the church. Their big idea is to have a "bring a friend" Sunday in November to build their church. His sermon was awful and slow....very little reference to scripture and never really mentioned God or Jesus but once or twice. Part of his commentary was once again against a political party and by the time he was done he and his church had clearly answered why they were dying. Everything that they were and everything that they were doing was the reason they were dying and yet they couldn't see it. It was really, really sad. A bipartisan church, with a bipartisan pastor who sounded like he prepared his sermon that morning...(at one moment during his sermon he joked that he did!) They wanted to grow but yet couldn't see that the reason they weren't, was staring them right in the face.

I feel sorry for them and am praying for them. This moment did a couple of things for me. First and foremost it reminded me that no matter what church it is...how bad it is...and how off center it is from Jesus I can still worship God. Worshiping God has little to do with the pastor, church, or service and everything to do with our heart. I learned a great lesson going back in that church and had a great lesson to teach Austin. No matter how bad it is we should always give God our worship and love. I am so glad I did and even though the experience was ridiculous I still felt connected to God and refreshed in a new way. This moment also reminded me of my duties as a pastor and how not to carry out those duties. God challenged me to stick with the things he has placed on my heart for the local church...the continued need for change and evaluation that is crucial not only for a churches survival but so that it thrives into he future. I pray that God continues to place me into circumstances where my comfort zones are challenges so that in the end I come out better and more certain of His plans for my life and the local churches he places me in as pastor. I was also reminded of the great responsibility I have been given in my preaching. It would be so easy to use the pulpit for my own purposes, as I witnessed this day. I know that every Sunday I need to take very seriously what I say and be certain that my words are not mine but God's. God is good... despite our attempts to mess everything up. Blessings, Your Dreaming Pastor