Too Busy for Church?

Thank you for all of you who have expressed your prayers and concern as Jana has been in the U.S. for medical treatment. This week we had pleasant news as the mass that was previously seen appears to be gone. Jana will still likely have surgery, but some areas of concern are relieved. God is showing His abundant care through this season.

This week we will begin a series of lessons called “Distant Diaspora Voices.” We will listen to those voices we frequently don’t want to hear. These are the voices that remind us of our most basic commitments and responsibilities. When we try to create an illusion that dilutes our responsibility these voices call us back to reality.

We will take a look at one of history’s great Diaspora experiences that took place roughly 2,500 years ago. A nation was scattered in a tragic military defeat. Their homeland was small, but at the cross-roads of regional commerce. Their small homeland was a fertile well watered highland. Before going into exile their marriages were polygamous. Their religion knew the stories of a single creator God full of gentle kindness in His covenants. However, they struggled with borrowing the gods of the nations that surrounded them. Their livelihood was from agriculture.

During their time in exile everything changed. Their religion became their mark of identification and they became devoted to their one creator God. They did not possess their own land so they became successful middle class entrepreneurs. They married and produced children. Their children acquired the skills and habits of the nations in which they had been exiled. Due to their economic shifting they no longer practiced polygamy. Though they changed as a people they still kept their language, dance, and culture of home. They never forgot who they were or where they came from.

After three generations of exile the international scene shifted and they returned home. As they came home they were filled with hope, enthusiasm, and an unstoppable work ethic. The nations that surrounded them were full of jealousy and continued to undermine their best efforts. Thus they threw their whole being into building an urban middle class population. They labored for the business and built homes to imitate what they had experienced in exile.

Yet something was missing. Their labor never quite acquired what they longed for. There was always a need for more. The biggest hole in their lives was their busyness. In fact, though they defined themselves by their religion they did not have the time for church.

Sound familiar?

This week, we’ll listen to our first Distant Diaspora Voice. Are we really too busy for church? Or is there something about those faith communities that are absolutely essential for a building Diaspora?

I hope to see you this Sunday,

Imana ikurinde,

Dave Jenkins

P.S. After our worship this Sunday CCR will offer our Beginnings Class. This is where we explain our CCR vision and how you can become a member. The class will take about 3 hours. We’ll provide a light lunch and child care if needed.