| Here's the rest of Moltmann's comments that I started yesterday. If Christianity is to become aware of what it is, we must abandon the pastoral church which takes care of people, which is the usual form of the Western church. Instead, we have to call to life a Christian community church. Either we set about this church reform by ourselves, or it will be forced on us by the loss of church members. The factors that kept non-voluntary membership of the church going - tradition or milieu - are ceasing to cut any ice. They have already become ineffective in the older Christian churches. Personal and voluntary commitment is going to come to the fore. We can see a sign of this when we note that while traditional Sunday church attendance is dropping, participation in the Lord's Supper or Eucharist is on the increase. More and more Christians are coming to think it important to take over their own lives, to act on their own responsibility and to experience life in God's Spirit for themselves. The Catholic 'faithful' are now getting up and saying 'We are the church', so that they can play a part in determining the for the church takes, and no longer simply say Amen to priestly services and ministrations. First of all, I don't know the context of his comments (1997 copyright, possibly German church). Having said that, the tradition for the sake of tradition or church for the sake of church really doesn't have the pull as it once did. I'm not saying that is bad. Could it be that we were so sold on the place of 'institution' and the 'saving power' of religious words and actions that church was given power without providing real life in the Spirit of Jesus. Just yesterday someone commented about he drop in attendance at church camps. One suggestion was that young people are preferring mission trips - faith in action - faith that can spring forth from one person or a group and they act! One of the things I love about the congregation where I serve as pastor is that individuals seem to find it important for their faith to be real - active - in conversation with the world - defiant even. That is inspiring because is make us all look again at who we are and how do we come to being the church in the world. Connection: What is it that brings you faith alive - gives it some sense of being lead by the Spirit? Come, Holy Spirit! Come and open our lives to your breath of life that is able to move us out into the world in the way of Jesus. Amen. |
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