A Lesson from a Mannequin

I have a mannequin in my office. Yes, a three-dimensional representation of a human form that displays clothes. I don't know what I am going to do with it, but when a friend offered a free mannequin I thought it might come in useful one day. But for now she stands in my office in a pretty Banana Republic dress though she lacks a head and both arms. As I was sitting in my office trying to find inspiration for Sunday's sermon, it suddenly occurred to me that too many people who call themselves "Christian" are not too different than my mannequin. Much of my frustration as a minister in our world today comes from people who would rather play church than be church--much the same way kids play house or play school. Too many people equate being Christian with showing up in their Sunday best with smiles on their faces every Sunday morning for worship; but there is more to being church than showing up and dressing the part of a dutiful Christian. John Wesley had a couple names for such Christians: "almost Christians," "honest heathens," "nominal Christians." I can hear the band Casting Crowns singing "If we are the body, why aren't his arms not reaching?/Why aren't his hands healing?/Why aren't his words teaching?/And if we are the body, why aren't his feet going?/Why is his love not showing them there is a way?" Doesn't Jesus tell us in Matthew 28 to "go and make disciples of all nations…" In Matthew's Gospel alone, Jesus says "go" almost 150 times. Jesus lived a life on the go, serving everyone from the most marginalized people of society to Roman centurions, lawyers, tax collectors, and everyone in between. He lived Sunday every day. He came to be God incarnate, and such living couldn't just happen in the temple or synagogue! Jesus set an example for us to be people who go, reach out, speak God's word of love to a world that is in need of hearing, feeling and seeing God's Word embodied. Such a life cannot happen visiting our pews every Sunday, or staying within the comforts of our church facilities. Faithful going means leaving our churches to be God incarnate in our world. A pastor long before I came to Wesley Memorial posted a sign as you leave the church offices, "You are now entering the mission field." To not go and do and serve for and in Jesus' name is to be no more useful to the Kingdom of God than the mannequin who stands in my office who neither walks, speaks or reaches out. In John Wesley's 1741 sermon, "Almost Christian," he accused the church of being asleep," or by my interpretation being no more than mannequins. How, then, are you embodying God's word in all you do and say outside of your church building? Don't settle for merely playing church, be the church! Who knows, such people might just change the world!