Immersion program to speak God's love; Well-oiled operation

Immersion in the language of God's love?

The sermon of 9/28/2014 was entitled "fanning the flames" and referrred to Paul's encouragement (to ask and to urge) to Thessalonians in which he says that they already are doing a good job of expressing God's love but he wants them to do this same thing (the flame of God's love) even more (fanning the flame). Some of the sermon phrases reminded me of my experience learning to speak a second language: at first I was hesitant and would feel more certain of my meaning when I took the words that I heard, mentally put them into English, and then consider my response in English before putting that response into the second language. Besides tiring my brain out by doing double-duty, it also made things slow and generally created some psychological distance between me and the other speakers as well as between myself and the second language itself as a skin-tight, close-fitting medium of expression. The analogy to God's language (of the heart, engaging in relationships under God's authority and Will) is that one may began haltingly and sporadically, but will ultimately grow most comfortable with the ways of communication by practice, by context, by motivation of communicating with those around you. So instead of depending on the intermediate language of putting the situation into your native (consumer and/or diploma-educated) language, strive to speak the language directly by immersion with no secondary step involved. The result should be, as in the foreign language experience above, faster communication, less fatigue, and closer psychological distance to other people speaking that language, and greater familiarity with the language itself.

Well-oiled machine, mainline Protestant church with momentum

Vigorous, doubt-free clergyman ablely plugs into willing congregants as a series of board, committees and accountability structures. Rituals are held, poverty, illness and the other human sufferings are banished and the whole enterprise presents a good picture to the outside world and to those actively involved on the inside, no matter if they carry responsibilities for operations there or instead are more passive bench sitters who find meaning in simple presence of the well-oiled machine, humming along season after season.

    Yet how well does this vehicle carry believers and believers-yet-to-be forward in spiritual growth and emergent hearts of love - of God and of one's neighbor? Certainly there is structure or scaffolding to bring a person to the right sort of mind-frame and sometimes some ready opportunities to trust and risk a little bit to build new relationships. And there is a glow of encouragement when looking in the cultural and organizational mirror to confirm that the body of believers walks and talks as they imagine they should. When seen at the unit of individual (are you better off now that one year ago, in terms of your capacity to love and the places this takes you); or when seen at the next bigger unit of inter-relationships, it is less clear how well an organized religion is better than the smaller "house church" model of primitive Christianity.

    The danger is that the humming machine lulls a person into outward busyness but inward comfort and blunted vigilance. Seeking, questioning and trialing is less appealing or urgent when all outward signs speak to one's sense of propriety and peer approbation; feeling the love of The World's eyes. And yet, even with the risk of contentment and feeling fulfilled, imperfect though it may be, there is a certain institutional inertia and persistence that less formal gatherings lack. And so, with one life to live, is the path of seeking and growth of spirit better to be had informally but with high-quality instruction and help; or is the way more effective under the pattern of a denominational faith tradition? Maybe the best of all possible worlds is to affiliate and participate loosely with brothers and sisters of Organized Religion, but all the while mindfully sharpening the critical voices and wondering mind to keep inquiring and wrestling with the Word of God. In other words, what may work best is a less well-oiled machine; one in which "some assembly is required," some repair may be needed and decisions may need to be remade by the current generation.