QUEEN ESTHER

My wife and I recently returned from Branson, Missouri where we attended a musical drama at the beautiful Sight and Sound Theatre. The production was “Queen Esther”. It is a story of God’s sovereignty, protection, and power, as He lifts a young Hebrew woman named Esther from bondage to become the queen of Persia… placing her in a position to help save her people from genocide.

As I watched the drama unfold, my heart began to grieve for the descendants of Abraham who have been singled out for annihilation for thousands of years, and who are once again struggling to survive. In Esther’s time it was Haman who led the charge to kill all the Jews. In 70 AD, it was the Roman Emperor Vespasian. His son Titus led Rome's mighty army in destroying the nation of Israel. Those who survived were scattered throughout the old world for 2,000 years. In the 20^th century, it was Adolf Hitler and his “Final Solution”, mercilessly murdering millions of Jews in hopes of annihilating the entire people group. After World War 2, when Jews began returning to their homeland, Israel was recognized as a legitimate nation by the US and immediately found itself fighting for its life against the surrounding nations. And now in the 21^st century this same genocidal spirit is alive and well right here in the USA. After Hamas massacred over a thousand people in Israel, many celebrated. And today, at what once were prestigious campuses of higher learning, we have students supporting the terrorist group and shouting “Death to Israel”. They block streets, block bridges, shut down campuses, occupy buildings, and assault Jewish students. 

Many of those participating do not fully understand what they are actually supporting. Some have even said as much in interviews. For many of them, it is simply “the cause of the month” and a chance to “stick it to the man”, whoever that is.

So, for those who are truly students and not paid activists, let me clarify it for you, because your professor probably will not do so. You are calling for the death of a people group called the Jews. It is not just a few deaths, it is “from the river to the sea.” The spirit of Haman, Vespasian, and Hitler are alive and well today. The call for genocide appears to be gaining strength and if you are not resisting it, you are assisting it. Genuine hate is happening here, and it has feet on the ground in the USA.

This hate is being directed toward a specific group of people who could easily be considered an ethnic minority. They are being devalued… called “dogs” and worse! But they are not dogs! They are beautiful children, and women, and men who have lived in the shadow of genocide for as long as records have been kept. If you replaced the word “Jews” in the hostile chants of today, with any other ethnic or minority group, cries of “racism” and “hate speech” would immediately rise from the very same mouths currently shouting the anti-sematic slurs.

And in an unfortunate twist, the young people doing the screaming today likely had great-grandfathers who fought in World War 2.... a war fought to guarantee that this kind of genocidal thinking would never come to our shores. But today, we find ourselves subsidizing this very thinking with our tax dollars. This seems like a very strange way of thanking the Greatest Generation for their service and sacrifice.

We must start asking ourselves why this tiny sliver of land, that very few can find on a world map, seems so important to so many people. Ask yourself why this group of people has been the target of genocide for so long. Ask yourself if this is how you really want your generation to be remembered. Ask yourself what you can do to stand up and push back on those calling for the destruction of a nation and the annihilation of an entire people. Ask yourself if you really want your youngster to attend a university where this kind of hate and chaos are allowed. Ask yourself if these demonstrations really qualify as “higher education”.  

But taking over college campuses and blocking bridges when people are trying to get to work will not change anyone's thinking in a positive way. Intimidating and harassing people who think differently will not change their hearts or the situation in the Middle East. Wise up! Throwing a fit and holding your breath may have worked in the home where you grew up, but it doesn't work very well in the real world.

 BRB

COVID IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR

(The New Normal May Actually Be Better)

You may be one of many who are sick of hearing the word “covid”. The word is more than just a term to describe a virus. The word has been used as a weapon to traumatize and divide our culture. It has even divided the church. However, there may be some upside for the church to be found in the Covid saga. Here are six things that could be seen as positive developments for the church as a result of Covid 19.

1. A “weeding” of the church has taken place, and that’s not all bad.  

It will likely work to the church’s benefit that many token believers have been thinned out. Most didn’t need much of an excuse to stop attending regularly, as it had likely already been their practice. But for many, it has now become “permanent”.

As a result, many pastors have learned who they can really count on. As the old saying goes: “When the goin gets tough, the tough get goin.”  But here’s another side to the saying: “When the goin gets rough, the fair-weather disciples bail. When attendance becomes risky or costly, many will flee. It happened to Jesus, and it happens to us. That’s not all bad.  

I am reminded of God’s instruction to Gideon in Judges 7. “Whittle the fighting force down in order to be victorious.” Perhaps the “pandemic” has done this for us in some ways.

2. The church is finding new ways to be “essential”.

Many of us were alarmed at being deemed “non-essential”… but were those in authority actually all wrong? Many churches have morphed into “non-essential” social clubs over the years of relative safety. A good question to honestly answer is this: If your church closed next month, would anyone except your attenders really miss it? The best way not to be deemed “non-essential” is to become “essential” to our communities. There are many creative ways to do this if you desire to do so.

3. Average age of congregation matters more than ever to church health and viability.

Many churches have been decimated because Covid took more seniors lives than young lives. It’s easy for a church to get old and die. We must not fail to continue reaching out to a younger demographic. Nickels & Noses aren’t the only way to measure church health, but they are still an important factor. But perhaps along with attendance and offerings, we ought to also look at “decreasing average age” as an indicator of church health. And maybe the idea that you don’t need a children’s church ought to be a red flag health indicator for a church.

4. Livestreaming is good, but it’s not BEST.

Livestreaming is a Good Egg, but it’s not the Golden Egg.  

It’s good for OUTREACH when done well, but INTAKE should still be the goal. In person attendance should still be seen as the desirable outcome. That’s because online presence is different than “being present”. Churches that thrive will likely continue to have an online presence, but “being present” with the gathered church will still be a priority teaching and practice. We should think of online presence as advertising the product, not the product itself. It should be seen as “second best” when attendance is not an option for some reason.

The reality is that many are finding “Online Church” unsatisfying for the long term and they are returning in person. And if you look at average view time stats, they indicate that “onliners” don’t stick with the whole service on most occasions.

5. The Government is not our friend, and definitely not our servant.

Churches will never look at government the same way again, and that is a good thing. Most pastors went the extra mile when politicians asked them to shut down for a period, (remember “14 days to flatten the curve”).  But when it went on for months while Walmart remained open, we knew something was amiss. Over and over, governors and mayors had no problem with people loitering in shopping malls, or packing into casinos, or cheering at ball games, but they kept churches closed. If you had any illusions that we were a “Christian nation”, I think they should have been blown up by now. If you don’t think we live in a secular society, then it’s time to think again. Moving forward, we must be more vigilant than ever to protect our right to worship. But the days of getting in bed with the government are hopefully over.

6. In times of crisis, small groups become more important than ever.

Some smaller churches function as a small group. But any expected and sustained growth brings with it the need for smaller groups of prayer and community. A single cell can only get so big before it must divide or cease to function.

The small group may be the key to spiritual well being if the government becomes more hostile… or disaster, or war, or further pandemics prevent large gatherings. Cultivating small groups in various forms and developing their leaders should be high on our list of priorities.

CONCLUSION

While we would not and should not wish for a return of the virus or the restrictions, let us acknowledge that this period of time had some benefits for the church that may be helpful in growing the Kingdom. Be encouraged and take advantage of every opportunity.