The Weekend Update (or Lessons Learned While Looking For A Fake Coach Purse)...

This weekend was busy and full as usual. We had trackmeets and Thursday and Saturday and in between that I got to spend some time with two close friends. Two of my buddies, who are also Youth Pastors, were in Austin this weekend for the girls state basketball tournament. On Friday we got together in Lockhart for some early morning (9:30 AM) golf and some famous Kruetz Bar-B-Q for lunch. After that we headed off to Austin to watch the UT baseball game, get some Longhorn gear from the Co-Op, and hang out in the ATX that evening. Saturday, after doing some work stuff and errands in the morning, Johanna and I headed to Austin to spend some time together in the afternoon and evening.

One thing that Johanna wanted to do was to find a fake Coach purse. One of her co-worker's daughters had gotten her one for Christmas and Johanna really like it. So we called to find out where they got it but couldn't get ahold of anyone. All Johanna knew was that they found it at a flea market in Austin. In case you're not familiar with the Austin area, that really doesn't narrow it down too much. We stopped at a gas station once we got to Austin and borrowed their phone book to look up some numbers for some flea markets. After looking them over we decided to call one that we thought sounded like a pretty big one. When we asked where they were located we found out that they were in north central Austin...about 30 minutes away. But since I knew she really wanted to find one of these purses we headed off in that direction. We exited off of I-35 and began to follow the directions the lady had given us over the phone. And I began to notice that the further away from the interstate we got, the more the signs and billboards and stores began to change. We were getting into a different neighborhood and most of the signs were in Spanish. Needless to say, once we arrived at the flea market, we were in an area we were not really familiar with at all. We noticed that most of the people outside the flea market were very different than us. Especially when it came to ethnicity. Once we entered the building where the flea market was we quickly realized that we had walked into another world. The flea market was almost 100% Mexican-American, with the exception being a couple Asian-American run booths, an African-American woman shopping, and myself and my wife. As we walked the aisles and scanned the collection of goods that were being sold, we could have easily been in another country. Much of the signs and descriptions of the goods, as well as the background music, were in another language than what I speak. And a lot of the products, such as video games, movies, books, and magazines were in Spanish and not English. The goods that were for sale in this place appealed to a certain people group, one of which I do not exist. We walked around inside for several minutes and received several strange looks. We got stares and puzzled looks from people, most of whom were probably trying to figure out why we were there. I even caught a couple of glances that seemed angry toward us, but that could simply be my perception in the given situation. However, after making our way up and down a couple aisles, we decided to head to another place, with no fake Coach purse in hand.

As I have pondered that experience over the past few days, God has really used it to speak to me. Every Sunday, and on some other days of the week at certain places, all across our country this experience occurs. And other people experience the same thing I experienced in that flea market on Saturday. Yet the experience for them doesn't happen in a flea market, or on a quest to purchase goods, or even across ethnic lines. Every Sunday this experience happens to the unchurched who gather up the courage to walk through the typical church doors of their local congregations in our country. And as I have pondered my experience in another culture, I wonder if their's is much different. Most churches and Christians have, in my opinion unfortunately, adopted their own culture. We have Christan music, Christian clothing, a certain order of Sunday morning worship, Christian songs and Christian singers, Christian books, and even our own Christian language. Think about it for a second: How many times do you use words like justifaction, redeemed, sanctified, and thou in every day conversations? It just doesn't happen...except for at some Christian churches on Sunday mornings. And when unchurched people, who may not know anything of the gospel or the love of Christ, walk through our doors they are thrown into a culture in which they have no experience, no connection, and is completely foreign to them. They don't understand the music or the language or the "goods" and yet we are shocked and puzzled at why they do not return. In many cases, they stand out and look different, just like I did at the flea market, and because of that they receive the same treatment and hurtful stares that I received in my experience. And still we wonder why our churches for the most part aren't growing and reaching unchurched people. The church sits around in meetings wondering why people outside our doors aren't being drawn into a life-changing relationship with the living Savior. Maybe it's because the culture that we've created is something so foreign to them that we've actually gotten in the way of the message of Jesus. Maybe people don't come back because they are so confused by the language and the culture that they really don't see the need for what we offer. It's my fear that in creating this Christian sub-culture here in America that is exactly what we've done. So how do we fix it? Well, I think there are some big, major, institutional changes that need to take place in the church. And those changes would affect some of our practices and the more practical aspects of what occurs at our gatherings and in our ministries, but those are big things that take time to unpackage and explain and can easily get a guy in trouble. There are definitely some BIG things we need to change to begin to more effectively share the love and grace of Jesus with those who are yet to understand and accept it. But there are also some smaller things that each of us can do in our own communities of faith and in the places in which we live that can make a difference. While this list is in no way comprehensive or exhaustive, it's a small start.

#1 - Realize that what we have done in many churches is create a culture that many unchurched people do not understand. Be conscious of ways in which you can break down those cultural barriers, explaining your faith and your churches practices to someone in a way that makes sense to them.

#2 - Quit judging the unchurched without knowing them. Every Sunday in churches across our land people are on the receiving end of stares, whispers, and looks that let them know they are different and for whatever reason don't fit the mold. We need to THROW OUT THE MOLD and began to treat people as Jesus would, welcoming them into our community of faith, regardless of their ethnicity, dress, soci-economic background or any thing else that might cause them to be a little different than we are. It is not our place to decide who is in and who is out. Jesus already made that decision on the cross. Our arms ought to be as welcoming as His.

#3 - Don't talk in a foreign language. Be real and authentic in your communication of the love of God to others and encourage your church, your church leaders, and your church structure to do the same thing. So many times we feel that we are communicating something when we are simply just talking. If people are not understanding and receiving our message then we are not communicating. Let's not let the incredible message of the gospel get lost in translation from some Christianese language that we have made up in the church. Make sure people around you understand the love of Christ in their language.

#4 - Live authentically. Regardless of what form of worship your church has chosen, whether it appeals to the unchurched or is steeped in traditon that someone outside the walls wouldn't understand, it is not the church service itself that draws people into following Christ in this society. Relationships are everything. It is our relationships with the unchurched and lost that will prove to be the main factor in their acceptance of the love and grace of Jesus Christ. If we do not take the initiative and show others the love of Christ, and then authentically live it out in real and practical ways in our daily lives, then it doesn't matter what else we do. It is in the authenticity of our faith, our love for God and others, that people will see Christ and His love for them. That can overcome a lot of barriers that the institution of the church has built up over time.

As I look back on my experience at the flea market, I know there are several more lessons to be learned. And hopefully as I continue to process those lessons and God continues to teach me through this experience, I'll be able to share more of what I've learned. It is sometimes good to be the outsider and see how others feel from the outside looking in. I'm thankful for the experience and the lessons learned...and by the way, we still haven't found that purse!