a new message

I've been restless the past few days.

As I've pondered the nature of this restlessness, there have been a couple of roots to it that I've seen. If there are more, they'll come to bear.

One of the roots in my heart is a bucking toward the traditional celebration of Easter. It's the same sense I had this past Christmas season. People seem to get friendlier, more sincere around this season. And that bothers me.

I also am unsettled by the intellectual-based verbal accounts of Jesus which I see cropping up. It's as if people think if they simply verbalize the story of Jesus that that will compel people to Him.

To my spirit, these accounts are as effective (powerless) as the Christianese cliches and platitudes I see well-meaning Followers sloughing out of their mouths about dealing with life.

I am disappointed in the local body to which I have been going. I see the desire for God intertwined with an inability to separate from religious and denominational rhetoric, and wonder why this is done. Specifically, the church website announced a "Maundy Thursday" gathering. I've heard that term since a child, having grown up in a heavily denominational environment.

When I went to the website to see more, it stated there would be communion and foot washing. Why not just say that, instead of guising it behind some "Maundy" religious blah blah?

Maybe there's some neat story behind Maundy. I have no idea, and if it's a warm, bubbly feel-good Christian story behind it, great. I am really missing out.

I grew up with religion and denominationalism exalted above Jesus and above Truth, so maybe this strong aversion and opposition is that frustration and disdain resurfacing in my heart because of what I see in Christiandom.

As I think about the frustration, it stems from seeing religion in places I wouldn't expect to see it. Religion in the denominations which have always had it is one thing, but to see it in places and people where it's not expected, that frustrates.

I don't care about contemporary Christian phraseology, the Christian "latest", or 21st century acronyms, etc. that puts the Way into jargon, coin phrases or anything else.

There's another stint to my restlessness. I am weighing heavily to buck traditional "church service" this weekend, and see if some good friends of mine just want to get together to break bread and talk Jesus.

They've had some life circumstances, not insurmountable, which have led to their not "going to church" as of late. I just might check with them if they want to do church the original old-fashioned way, in the home. That might be a Christian "tradition" I could actually embrace.

So, amidst all this frustration I ponder what God wants to do. With me, with the Body, fellowship.

I don't sense these emptinesses and observations are just for me to be bum about the Body. I know God's heart aches and breaks over some (many?) of the things being done in His name today. (Heck, if He were me He'd be puking.)

So where I am is: I see this hollow Christianity all around me, and I'm disturbed and restless about it. This unsettled feeling in my gut is not just happenstance. I ponder: Where and what is Your lead because of this? To or toward...what? where?