Monday, August 23, 2010

I'm Tired of Practicing

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
James 1:22 (NIV)
I do a lot of driving everyday. I do more driving than a typical pastor commuting back and forth to the church. On any given day, I am in the car at least an hour a day. That gives me a lot of time to listen to the radio.

Typically, I am listening to sports talk radio. I enjoy all kinds of sports, so keeping up with conversations that are sports related are of interest to me. Couple that with my interest in the three major sports teams in Western Pennsylvania, and it makes for good listening.

I listen to sports talk quite a bit, and therefore I often think in sports metaphors and have been found to use them as I speak. Naturally, if someone else uses a sport’s cliché or metaphor in conversation, it might cause me to tilt my head in interest.

During a recent conversation, I heard someone describing another individual by saying that he/she was “not a practicing Christian.” I know what that means, so I didn’t have to ask the person to describe what they thought it meant. People often use that to describe individuals who are not “actively involved” in their congregation or that they don’t go to church but claim to have a faith in a higher being. Sometimes people use the statement that someone is not “religious.”

(I will leave the whole conversation about being whether you can have an active faith if you are not actively involved in worship, for another day. Suffice it to say, “being a good person” isn’t going to get it done.)

What caught my attention was this phrase, “practicing Christian.” Again, people use this phrase to describe those who don’t come to church regularly, if at all. However, as it was said, I began to think about this idea of being a practicing Christian, even when it is used to describe those of us who come to church several times a month. Not only did I think about it, I came up with a conclusion.

All of us should be more than just practicing Christians! Here’s why.

Practice suggests that you are doing it at half speed. Since we are still in pre-season for both college and professional football, I will suggest that practicing means that you are sometimes only going through the motions. You run though plays, either with others, or you practice them in your mind. But practice doesn’t involve real contact. Sometimes practice means that you don’t even use pads. (Work with me here – I know that sometimes during the week, they do use pads.)

Practice suggests that you are simply looking at game film. Practice means that you are still learning. Practice means that sometimes others will come in and take your place. Practice means that you can go over to the sidelines when you want to take a break (as so many of you have done this summer)

When I was little, I loved to play little league baseball. I looked forward to baseball most of the year. I loved everything about playing baseball. But to be truthful with you, I wasn’t really looking forward to practice at all. I loved to play the game. I wanted to get dirty, I wanted the full action. I wanted to play at game speed, when things really mattered.

Actually, practice isn’t inherently evil. In fact, it is necessary, even for those who play the game. And just because you’re playing doesn’t mean that you don’t have to practice too.

The book of James talks a lot about the difference between hearing and doing. James is talking about taking our faith and taking it to another level. It is not enough to simply listen and have faith if the faith isn’t doing anything. It isn’t enough to simply believe in God and believe that you are saved by grace through that faith. You must also go and do.

A pastor in our connection has said, “The world will see the relevancy of the Gospel when the people of Jesus fully embrace and live the biblical mandate to live like Jesus. John Wesley called it the demonstration of “social holiness.”” (Mike Slaughter, Change the World)

Sunday morning is for “practice.” It is the day for us to come to worship, to hear God’s Word spoken and proclaimed. Some of you meet in small groups to grapple with the play book a little bit. But after that, if you don’t put that playbook into action on the mission field, its like you are just going through the motions. When James writes that we must stop merely listening and do what it says, it means that we must go out and do all the things that the Gospel proclaims, up to and including sharing that Good News with others so that they can join the team.

The time has come for this church to stop “practicing.” We have to begin to put the words into action and become the hands and feet of Christ. That's what it means to be a Disciple of Christ.

When I was a kid, I remember hearing a song played around the baseball field. The song was by John Fogerty and it was entitled “Centerfield.” Its message was simple. “Put me in coach, I’m ready to play today. I can be centerfield.”

I don’t know about you, but I am ready to play. I’m tired of practicing and I’m ready for the regular season to start. I am looking forward to seeing you come back from the “off-season” as we share not only the message, but the work of Christ on the field.

See you at the game!

Pastor Greg

2 comments:

Keith H. McIlwain said...

I hear ya, Greg, and I also like the athletic language. I'm a big athletic supporter.

But I've also been frustrated lately, I confess, with folks - good folks - in my community who in many ways are content to remain in training or at best be second stringers. More pressure is brought on me to "make something happen", like expecting the quarterback or pitcher to do it all. Frustrating.

Brett Probert said...

Good words Greg. And Keith...I agree with both of yinz. I miss you both!