standing with hope

by molly klima

When I think of American Christianity, I sometimes think of a fast food drive thru. Instead of meals made with whole ingredients we’ve opted for the quick, cheap, mass produced version of something that is meant to give us life. We’ve opted for the fast food version of something meant to be carefully prepared and consumed.

Have you ever seen the documentary “Super Size Me”? A man named Morgan Spurlock eats McDonald’s every meal for 30 days. By the end of 30 days his doctor has monitored blood work and performed multiple physicals. This results in putting himself on a path to certain death. Spurlock has filled his body with food and calories, but not the kind that will sustain his well-being. He’s gone the “cheap and easy” route to his own detriment.

I am not suggesting that all the ways we pursue our faith in 2024 are wrong or troublesome. I don’t mind words on the screen or a band. I just wonder. I just wonder if in our attempts to modernize and keep up with the times if we’ve lost ourselves in an attempt to make church relative to the culture. Have we given permission, in our attempts to be “state of the art”, for the culture to shape the way we engage our faith?

Our consumption of 30 second Instagram reels with snippets of sermons or ten slides of a thread or a viral podcast episode is like the equivalent of a happy meal or dousing our carrots in ranch, at best. Who is teaching you or who are you teaching how to study the Bible? Do we spend as much time in our community as we do reposting things on Facebook and getting sucked into an algorithm? Are we letting our local pastor be a shepherd or do we prefer YouTube prophets? Or to hit the spot we like to avoid, what about confession? Who have we invited into our corner to fight the darkness with us?

To say we can only reach people with the latest trend is to say that the life of Jesus, his death and resurrection is not enough in and of itself. I doubt any of us agree that it isn’t, but we live as if it is.

molly klima

What are we willing to give Him? Are we willing to put in the extra effort to make a plan to study-not just check off a box? Are we willing to not just read someone else’s thoughts and two sciptures that match, but perhaps actually study the context and history in which the scripture was written? Are we willing to possibly read an entire book, not listen to the author on a podcast? Who are we willing to serve? Where are we willing to go? Who is at our dinner table?

We have so many excuses and busy schedules as to why we don’t have time for our faith to be deepened. We have so many distractions that are funnier and feel like a faster fix. I’m concerned that in all of the ways the world keeps us engaged, the church has shifted to similar tactics that are an attempt to compete with the world. And in the process, we are selling ourselves short, robbing ourselves and those in our care to experience something better than this world could ever offer.

Physical presence

It was his first time back in church in years. I wondered what he’d think. Was the worship band putting on too much of a concert? Was the pastor dressed too much like a hipster? Was the coffee good? Would he miss the organ and hymnals, as I sometimes do? I looked around and something struck me. There are no Bibles. I’ve gotten used to no hymnals but for the first time it struck me that there were no Bibles provided. There was a Bible on a lap or under a chair here or there. Sure, the people scrolling on their phones were probably on the Bible app, but he can’t see what they are scrolling. Of course words were on the screen for worship and during any scripture reading, but if he wants further context in verses before or after the reference, he is denied access.

Perplexed, I began to ask my friends, “Hey, does your church have Bibles in it? For instance, in the sanctuary, easily accessible where someone can open one up to follow along with the message or just to browse?” Imagine my surprise when they either didn’t know or were confident the answer was “no”. Now, this isn’t an official research project. I just asked some of my friends and thought about any churches I’ve been in over the past few years. I realize there will be people reading this saying, “We have them in my church. Duh.” But again, I don’t mean does your church have a Bible in it. I am sure it does. In the library, the pastor’s office, the Sunday School rooms or maybe stacked off in a corner. What about in the sanctuary-where the largest gathering takes place?

What about at your house? Do your kids see you read it? Can they tell a difference between your normal scrolling versus when you’re studying the Bible? In the great comfort of our American lives, where is our obedience leading us to do something we couldn’t do on our own?

be intentional

Drawing near to God requires intentionality. Yes, He is omnipresent, but have you ever been in the same room as someone and realized a disconnect because you are not engaged with them? Jesus is not a toddler demanding our attention. He is a patient friend, excitedly anticipating our interaction.

I don’t think we can all dedicate hours of our day to reading God’s Word. But we treat what we claim to believe are living and breathing words as a commodity. We tend to love the ease and convenience of just spending five minutes of a reading plan or devotion on our phone. Even a ten minute reading plan for five days on a topic is 50 minutes. Then we are on to the next thing. God is worthy of so much more. Imagine spending ten minutes a day for five days getting to know your spouse or your kid each week. You could argue over time that it will add up. But that’s less than four hours per month. Imagine the state of our marriages or our relationships with our children if we only gave them our undivided attention for less than four hours per month.

“Meditating on God’s Law day and night is a holy consequence of first delighting in it. God’s Word offers paths of walking that lead to life. Ways of being that promote peace. And places to sit where Jesus as Lord is a welcomed song.”

Jackie hill perry

Study your physical Bible. Make a plan. Set aside the time. Take notes. Mark up your pages. Maybe you, reader, are much more disciplined than I am. If I’m trying to read anything on my phone I’ll get distracted. The next thing I know I’ve sent 100 reels to my husband and closest friends and it’s time to go pick up my kids.
Romans 15:4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”

Serve. Serve your church. Serve your community. Serve your neighbor. Serve your co-workers. Serve your family. Serve the teachers at your kids’ school. Serve your in-laws. Serve the people you love and serve your enemies.
Mark 10:45 “For even I, the Son of Man, did not come to be served, but to serve. And to give my life as a ransom for many.”

There are so many things vying for our atttention. How many of them will impact eternity?