From Cynic to Celebrant

Can I not celebrate God in this life, too?

This is a picture of Noah, Jonathan's friend who went to heaven after fighting leukemia for almost a year. His life and death serve as an important reminder to me of what is really important in life. This picture has stayed in my mind since the moment I saw it. I long to live a life a freedom and celebration as my children do. For my children, God is here now -- right now, today. They pray with a faith that I so often lack. When I'm upset about something, they remind me to talk to God about it. They don't love God only for a future salvation in heaven, but also for the way that he is present in their lives today.


" . . . All kinds of embarrassing things [are] being done in the name of God. Religious extremists of all faiths have perverted the best of our traditions. But there is another movement stirring, a little revolution of sorts. Many of us are refusing to allow distorted images of our faith to define us. There are those of us who, rather than simply reject pop evangelicalism, want to spread another kind of Christianity, a faith that has as much to say about this world as it does about the next. . . There's a movement bubbling up that goes beyond cynicism and celebrates a new way of living, a generation that stops complaining about the church it sees and becomes the church it dreams of. And this little revolution is irresistible. It is a contagious revolution that dances, laughs, and loves. (The Irresistible Revolution, p 24)

For the past few years, I've given myself the title "The cynic in the 3rd row." Always questioning, many times skeptical, and mostly angry I watched the religion of my childhood lose most of its meaning. Religion, as I practiced it, just didn't work in the real world. Although I knew that I was saved by God's grace alone, I also had an awful lot of rules and regulations worked into my belief system that made me feel as though I was never measuring up.

But I'm slowing coming to a new kind of faith. One with a living God who is active in not only the world, but also in my life -- creating something new and creating something beautiful. A God who has compassion for the sick, mercy for the poor, and wants to bless me by allowing me a part in his creative acts that are continuing to this day.

Last week I saw once again, a side of church that disturbs me. Family fueds over worship style still plagues the body of believers where I worship. As I sat in a meeting, my heart was heavy as I witnessed the pain that people I loved were inflicting on others -- all in the name of love, unity, and pursuit of truth. It was easy for me to want to join my little group and get into one of those holy huddles that involves gossip, slander, and a few Bible verses to show that God is really on my side. I thank God that He gave me the grace to be able to resist this temptation and instead spend some time talking with Him those involved (including me!)

I want to be a part of a group of believers who resists the temptation to do what we have always done. I want to join with others to actually create solutions that lead to further worship of God. I want to be part of a generation that stops complaining about the church it sees and becomes the church it dreams of.