Thoughts from here and there…Reform
“I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together! All who follow Jesus, all around the world! We are the church together!” (©Richard K. Avery and Donald S. Marsh, 1972)
I am the church. You are the church. What kind of a church are we? October 31 is Reformation Day. gives us an opportunity to confront this question. This is a day which commemorates a day of extraordinary changes in the religious thought and practice.
It was on this day in 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg. He challenged the commonly accepted theological understandings and religious practices of his day. He stood firm in the face of severe and brutal opposition. He was so completely convinced of the rightness of his position that he could not be moved from it. He could do nothing else. He wrought great change which led to the birth and development of the Protestant Church.
In recent weeks, how many times have you heard the word, “change?” It’s time for a change in direction. It’s time for a change in leadership. It’s time for a change in policy, and so we have various reform bills that either have been signed by the President or are being passed by Congress so that they may be signed.
Change as a rallying point is as old as history. Change in itself may be meaningless. The value obtained from change depends on the rational for change and how the changes will be made effective in personal life, church or society. One of the most important points that we need to remember about change is that we usually strongly resist change until the crisis overtakes us and we are forced by personal health or economic reasons to, of course, change.
There is an illustration from the life of William Randolph Hearst that well illustrates how desire may drive us to look for that which we already possess. He wanted a painting. He wanted it so badly that he told his staff to go in search for it; to pay any price, take any tack, to acquire it. Hearst’s staff traveled the world over searching for the desired artwork. One day a member of his staff sheepishly approached Mr. Hearst with the news that they had found the painting, and it had not cost him anything. He was excited and happy. He wanted to know where they had found the painting and how they had tricked the person into giving it to them. It was at this point that they candidly had to admit that Mr. Hearst owned the painting, and they had found it in his warehouse.
We desire change and reform. We may search the world over and remain dissatisfied. We want a painting that we already possess. We are the Church. Our Church can be what it is that we, under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, desire it to be. It takes time, thought and work to create our vision of God for us. It is better to do this than to travel the world looking for something that we already have. Reformation Day is a day to examine, explore, evaluate, and then determine what kind of a church we are going to be. We will be the church, regardless! It is better to be constructive and helpful.