Ratatouille

I watched the Disney Pixar film, Ratatouille last night. It was fantastic. I'm finding that the older I get the more I tend to enjoy these kinds of movies. They are full of entertainment, visual flamboyance, humor, and they always tell a good story. But at some point while I was watching it I found myself thinking about the Gospel story. I guess this post is evidence that I did not stop thinking about it.

If you've seen it or not, think about this: The story is about a loser chef, Linguini who can't cook. And no one else thinks that he can, especially the head chef who has all the right credibility. Then you have a rat, Remy, who is inspired and repeatedly visited by a Ghost or Spirit of the best chef, Gusteau. I will spare drawing the parallels since I'm sure you've already thought of them :)

Well you know how it goes: with the inspiration and guidance of Gusteau, Remy takes Linguini from zero to hero while the chefs who didn't believe are made out to be the real losers. And on top of it all there is throughout the entire film Gusteau's motto that says, "Anyone can cook!" Pretty cool huh?

So I started thinking of other Disney movies and I realized that the story of the Gospel is right there in so many of them: Aladdin, Cinderella, Lion King. It's funny that when writers at Disney want to tell a great story they can only conjure up a recrecation of the ultimate Cinderella story!

Koinonia Pt. 2

In Part 1 of this post I described my experience at the young-adult church service, "Vintage" which is held on Tuesdays at "The Chapel," a mega-church in Getzville, NY. I tried to explain the worship part of the service as objectively as I could, but we all know how sarcasm just sneaks in from time to time. In Part 2 I would like to follow up my description of the service with some of my thoughts. To preface these thoughts let me just say that I believe that the purpose of the Church is to build community with other followers of Christ and spread the Gospel to those who have not yet experienced the Love and Grace of God. This is why I have titled this post, Koinonia, which literally means fellowship or a communion with God.

Anytime I walk into a "mega-church" I get sick. It's like a disease or a phobia; I just get sick to my stomach. The main reason for this is because I see the building and immediately think of money. The facilities at this church were state-of-the-art and no doubt costed the community a pretty penny. My mind automatically thinks of the many other ways that the church could spend Her money instead of building new facilities. To me it points out where the church's emphasis is; where is the priority? When I walk into a mega-church I get the feeling that the emphasis is on the meeting place, the building, and the experience that happens in that particular place.

When I entered the actual sanctuary it was designed in an amphitheater style; a design that fixates on the stage. And a beautiful stage it was; but stages are meant for performers and Koinonia is not about performing, it is about worshipping together. When someone performs there is a relationship created with those who are watching: a performer/audience relationship. The problem with this performer/audience relationship is that it is superfluous and distracts from the real reason that the Church gathers. It is undeniable that there was a performer/audience relationship on Tuesday night as evidenced by the applause after every song. The arena style seating also caused me to wonder what might happen if the stage were empty. Would these seats then have a purpose? It is my concern that this sanctuary was setup as an audience, not a community.

But the stage was NOT empty! And occupying its space was a 9-piece band ready to lead us in worship. The musicians were talented and were no doubt employing their God-given ability which I am happy to see in any church. The energy level was high and the people's hearts were worshipful; this I will not argue at all. Please understand that I am not questioning anyone's heart or intention. I am merely critiquing the theology and liturgical style of the worship. So the first issue I will address is the volume of the sound.

As the amps were cranked and the drums crashed, the physical energy was pumping. But the major problem I have with this is that the music coming from the stage drowned out the voices of the people who sang from the seats. And in a true Church, the goal is a community of believers, not a rockin' band. All is lost when the corporate voice of the church cannot be heard in our worship together. It was a frustrating scene for me because I felt small and unimportant compared to the band on stage. It should not only be the ones with microphones standing in the spotlight who are heard.

I also felt uncomfortable with the musicianship; more specifically the flare or grandeur of performance. Being a musician myself, I find it hard to focus when the musicians are playing so extravegantly; I get stuck watching them. Maybe this is my own problem, but would it hinder the worship of God to minimize ostentatious performance? I don't think so. Making a joyful noise unto the Lord is good, but the leaders of worship have a responsibility that may re-prioritize their performance style.

During the service there were a variety of lights flashing, spinning and spotting all over the place. They focused mainly on the band (as if the people weren't already watching) and often zipped out into the audience in beat with the music. Frankly, the lights are pointless. They serve no theological or liturgical point! They merely distract and disinvite people from focusing on God. The neon shapes were shallow, cheap and downright annoying. Just because you have it doesn't mean you need to use it. And if it isn't serving a theological or liturgical purpose, why did the church spend thousands of Her dollars to own it? This is why my stomach turns when I walk into these places.

Lastly, the content of the music that was used for worship was too focused on the individual needs and works. I get so tired of seeing songs that are about MY NEED or WHAT I WILL DO or HOW I WILL DO IT. These songs are missing the grand point. In Koinonia the people of God worship together. So all of the I's should be We's and the My's should become Our's. And yet still, as Robert Webber says, "The content of worship must always be the story of God's redemptive acts, especially in Jesus Christ." The words in our songs of praise should be focused on God's nature, God's work, and God's promise. To simply acknowldege the love relationship between "God and me" is immature and needy. Music is a powerful tool for worship, but it is the text that is most important! We do not hum together, we sing words! Therefore, as Bonhoeffer states, "The music is completely the servant of the Word, it elucidates the Word in its mystery."

One of the reasons that I get sick to my stomach when I walk into a mega-church is because it makes the followers of Christ look superficial. It makes Christians look shallow. From the outside it seems as though the believers of Jesus need big, fancy, expensive facilities and breathtaking technologies to find God. And that scares me! Maybe I am too self-concious, but I have a deep concern for how we represent the Church of Jesus to the world. The culture of the Lost does not look at the mega-church and see Divine spirituality. It sees commercialism and entertainment. I can attest to this from many conversations and understanding with members of this culture.

In the end, the Worship of the Chuch is about one thing: God. To offer our praise to any other recipient or for any other reason is heretical. And within this Worship of God, there must be a shaping of community that affirms together the Worthiness of God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son and the Holy Spirit. When this is done a remarkable thing happens - some call it Koinonia.

Koinonia Pt. 1

Last night I attended this young-adult church service out at "The Chapel" over in Getzville. A friend invited me so I told him I'd go. I could see the enormous building from the highway. I knew I was in for an experience. The service was called "Vintage." I don't know why. Perhaps they're hardcore wine drinkers!

It was your typical mega-church with a cafe, bookstore, and arena sanctuary. Before entering the arena for worship I was able to get my cup of Joe just like all the other young adults who were socializing - latte in one hand, Bible in the other.

Upon entering the sanctuary the room was filled with dim light and anticipation. The stage was occupied by an nine-piece band basking in fog and green light. As I sat down in the theater style seating I mentioned to another guy, "I feel like I'm going to watch a performance." He affirmed my statement with excitement and explained to me how cool the upcoming spectacle would be.

Just before the loud crash of the drum beat the dude with the acoustic guitar invited us to come and worship - then BIM BAM BOOM the drums began. It was loud and overflowing with energy. The amps were turned up and the bass was thumping. I guess God has grown hard of hearing in His latter years... Thank goodness the drummer knew this and played with extra flare.

The light show was right on par. Various colors zoomed and flashed this way and that. On more than one occasion I was temporarily blinded by the swift gleam of a spotlight right in my face. And I also noticed a variety of shapes that the lights were displaying: suns, spyrograph-type designs, and stars.

I decided to shut my eyes and listen instead of risking another 2-second visual black-out. As I listened I noticed that I could not hear any other person singing except for the ones on stage with microphones. The enormity of the sound that came from the stage was overpowering the individuals who were also singing along.

But that didn't stop the band from really rocking! The drummer grooved and the keyboardist grinded. The crew was obviously feeling the spirit. And as soon as the saxophone solo ended and the electric guitarist faded out his effect with tenderness the audience applauded. Actually, after every single song the audience applauded. I wasn't sure who they were applauding.

At one point, however, the decibel level dropped and the emotional level inflated. The band leader repeated "I need your love" for about twenty measures and built up the anticipation for a finale that no one would want to miss - not even for a coffee refill. And of course, as hoped, the band crescendoed to a blazing piano-sax-olin jam that carried on as the spirit led.

And then finally the worship was done and we sat down.

SAvED!

The term "saved" gets thrown around a lot in Christianity. Many people will use this term when referring to a specific event when they "got saved.” Or, others may casually refer to persons as being “unsaved.” In any case, this kind of talk is both exclusive and theologically incorrect.

The word “saved,” when used in the spiritual context, is theologically wrong for a number of reasons. First, using the term saved to identify a group of people logically leaves a contrasting group of people identified as unsaved. Theologically it is impossible to exist a person that is unsaved. The reason for this impossibility is that Jesus died for the entire world - everyone and everything (John 3:16,17; Romans 8:19-25). Therefore, if Jesus does the saving, how can there be any who are unsaved? Is His work incomplete? The answer is no. It is not Jesus’ work that is incomplete, but ours.

Secondly, it is important to discover the theological dilemma with the tense of the term “saved.” As mentioned above, many people refer to a specific event during which they “got saved;” as if to say that the saving has happened and is done. But this is wrong because we cannot claim to have been saved in the past tense. Rather, we are being saved every day that we surrender our will to the Father’s in the same way that Jesus did. When God's work is finished we will say Jesus has saved; but for now, Jesus is saving. Romans 10:13 affirms this when Paul writes, “For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved”

Jesus’ work on the cross is infinitely and continually saving us. Thus, using the term “saved” to refer to a specific event in time is incorrect. The event in which one “got saved” is not Jesus’ saving but is instead a moment of comprehension and an experience of Grace and Truth. It was at this moment when Jesus’ work on the cross began transforming and saving the person from a life of sin. It was at this moment that the person was “born anew” (John 3:3) and could begin the life-long process of accepting grace and redemption.

Lastly, the exclusiveness of this term is not only unchristian in the way that it passes judgment, but it too is theologically incorrect. Jesus does not refer to those who do not believe in the One True God as “unsaved.” Instead, to describe the unbelieving Jesus uses terms such as “blind” (John 9), “lost” (Luke 15), “unbelief” (Mark 9:23,24), “sick” (Matthew 9:12), and “hearing and not understanding, seeing and not perceiving” (Matthew 13).

Instead of labeling those who have not realized the Good News as “unsaved,” Jesus uses terms from the physical domain as if to say that we are the problem; we are the incomplete ones in this redemptive relationship. Our physical existence is inhibiting our spiritual existence. Spiritually we are lost, blind, deaf, and altogether unhealthy. Jesus is much more concerned with our spiritual health.

But instead of using such decided language as “unsaved,” He uses terms that are alterable. And so, with the saving grace of the cross the blind may see; the lost are found; the deaf may hear; and the spiritually dead may live.

We are not saved. We are being saved every day. We are being renewed and redeemed by the grace of God and the death of Jesus Christ on the cross so that we may become the creations that God originally intended us to be.

EXODUS! JOURNEY TO THE PROMISE LAND!

I had this awesome Nintendo game when I was little called "The Exodus." In it you could be Moses and work your way through various tasks to complete levels in the hopes of freeing the Israelites. You could even begin as Moses' mother or that maid who drew him out of the water and you had to protect him from the Egyptians who tried to take him from you! Intense! I can't say that I was all that into it, but it was a sweet game for a 9 year old.

Lately I've been reading that good ol' story of Moses and the redemption of God's chosen people. What amazed me this time through was the number of times that God provides for His people; not necessarily the grand finale act of redemption, but all the small steps leading up to that finale. From the burning bush to the Red Sea to the manna in the desert, it is incredible how many times God provides for His people. Truly God is faithful in His purpose and His promise to the chosen people of Israel.

However, what is even more amazing than God's provision is the Israelites' response! The chosen people of God have some serious issues with trust! After everything that has ocurred in Egypt - all the miracles, all the plagues - and the Israelites have been set free, they still don't trust God to provide. In the 10th chapter, when Moses has led the Israelites to the Red Sea he writes, "As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, 'Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!'" These words make me laugh; as if they were the last sarcastic words of a doomed group of people. And, in their eyes, they were doomed because they were only looking at what stood before them. They had forgotten God's promise to provide.

I can't bring myself to type the sappy story of how this relates to my life. But the moral goes like this: I'm an Israelite. It is pretty ridiculous sometimes how the Truths speak louder than the story itself.

I don't know if this story of the Exodus ever even happened. Frogs, flies, and locusts? Sounds pretty crazy. I don't know if God really killed all those first-borns or brought darkness over Egypt. I'm not sure what I believe. But none of that really had to happen because I know that it's right on. Somehow. It's True.

Stop Trying So Hard!

Hillary Clinton spent the day in Las Vegas 'walking in the shoes of a nurse.' John Edwards spent the day shaving old men's faces at a nursing home. Barack Obama spent the day cleaning houses as a hospice care worker. WTF people? Aside from pandering to voters, what are you doing? Holy shit I'm so sick of these presidential candidates trying so hard! Obama's got ringtones for God's sake!!!

And it's not just the "Democrats." Mitt Romney says we need a man of faith in the White House and he's the man. Wow, is there an echo in Washington? News flash, Mitt: It doesn't seem to be working out this time 'round. Giuliani avoids a debate question by stating he couldn't possibly admit his mistakes in the time allotted. Ha! Good one, Rudy! Well played!

Democracy is basically a well-to-do popularity contest and ALL of these dumbass candidates will do ANYTHING for YOUR vote. Period. That's all I can stomach right now.


(By the way, great photo, Mitt! You look confident, strong, and hopeful.)