Cafeteria Christians...in a good way

I've been noticing something lately.

I think I've read this somewhere so what I've noticed isn't exactly groundbreaking (and, who knows, may have been happening for centuries), but Urban Village seems to be drawing a few folks who claim their main membership in a church elsewhere (and are perfectly happy there), but come to Urban Village for...something. It might be a small group or a social gathering or our Wicker Park Sunday evening service, but they don't have a problem with feeding their souls in different contexts.

And it isn't just our church. I met a woman a few weeks ago who goes to worship at Moody, but goes to all the Willow Creek social stuff. I don't have deep sociological insights as to why this is, but it's something the church probably should pay attention to. The phrase "cafeteria Christians" is sometimes used in a derogatory way meaning that people pick and choose their theology based only on what they like and because of that they miss pieces in Scripture that they need to hear or pay attention to. I get that, though, of course I think we're all cafeteria Christians in some form or fashion. We all have our own canons, whether we admit it or not.

But I realize when it comes to spiritual formation, I've been a bit of a cafeteria Christian myself over the years. Obviously as the pastor of a church, I haven't jumped around a lot trying different things, but in my previous church, I would attend a weekly weekday Episcopalian service. When I need a retreat, I go to a Benedictine monastery. When I need to sense the mystery of God, I go to a Taize service at a Catholic church. I'm biased, of course, but I think it's important to stay rooted in a community of faith and make commitments there, but I also affirm a person's desire and need to explore the many ways we can experience the Spirit in our midst, whether it's high liturgy or rockin' gospel music.

Judge away

I'm preaching about service and ministry with the poor this Sunday and yet again I am convicted and humbled by the number of passages in the Scriptures that highlight God's preference for those on the outside looking in.

And yet people still want to judge one another based on their stance on issues like homosexuality because of a handful of passages. If you want to judge me or Urban Village Church, judge us on how we're treating the outcast and you'd probably find that we're lacking.

Speaking of homosexuality, though, I appreciated this podcast from Being (formerly Speaking of Faith): http://bit.ly/duDJG6. It's entitled "Restoring Political Civility: An Evangelical View."

Don't Walk

I've struggled with Sabbath-keeping, but the last couple of weeks, I've been better at it. My day off (Sabbath) that I try to guard is Monday and I'm still trying to get a handle on what behaviors I should give up and what behaviors I should take on. Here are the latest guidelines I've set for myself...

Thou shalt not go on Facebook or Twitter.

Thou shalt resist many temptations to use iPhone. I've done pretty well with this lately. I haven't carried it around with me and haven't checked email. I still check it occasionally throughout the day to check to see if I have any voice mails or texts, but I need to wean myself off that, too.

Thou shalt spend some time with your wife. That was easy today. Her birthday was yesterday and we celebrated at our favorite breakfast spot, the Sweet Maple Cafe in Little Italy. Seriously, the best pancakes I've ever had. We also spent some time at the Art Institute which leads me to...

Thou shalt do something beautiful. I don't know why I let my Art Institute membership lapse. It's a mile away from our home and, of course, has one of the greatest collections of beauty in the world. I re-upped last week and we spent 90 minutes there this morning. That's the great thing about being a member there. We can linger.

Thou shalt obey traffic signals. This may seem like an odd one, but it's one I've kept for a while and I like it. On other days, I'm constantly looking for opportunities to jaywalk (cross on a red light). It's pretty much a no-brainer in Chicago (and in most other towns and cities I assume). We're all very busy people, after all. But on Mondays, when the light says, Don't Walk, I don't walk. Even if there aren't any cars for miles around. It reminds me to literally stop and realize that I can stay for a few seconds longer. Nothing will happen any quicker if I try to race across the street.

Willing to give

I was in a bit of a hurry on Tuesday morning and didn't give myself enough time to be in prayer so I tried to meditate on the Green Line. It actually was going quite well. My eyes were closed. I was repeating, "Love the Lord your God with all your strength..." to myself. And then someone tapped me on the shoulder.

"Can I see that?" the woman said. I was holding the book I use for my devotions ("When You Pray," edited by Rueben Job) and the woman asked if she could take a look at it. I said sure and she started flipping through it, commenting on how she needs to pray more. As she was looking at it, I had a strong sense that God wanted me to give the book to her. I also was thinking, "But I really like that book!" You can buy them for $10, but I had a sentimental attachment to it. I decided, though, to go with the nudge from God.

"Would you like to have it?" I asked her. She smiled and graciously said yes. We talked some more. She was to go to court that day and said that this was an answer to prayer. She asked my name. I gave her my card, invited her to church, and she got off at the next stop.

We're spending some time at Urban Village talking about giving, particularly how we can give financially. It's not an easy discussion. It's tempting to hold onto our money pretty closely. But God sometimes nudges us to give something away in order for someone else to draw closer to God. Over the next couple of weeks, pray about what you might be willing to give. God might be nudging you in surprising ways.