The Weekly Update page is extracted from a weekly e-mail sent out by
Assistant Pastor Donna Pollock
Am I relevant? How about my preaching? Anyone’s preaching? What about the Bible—in the Post-modern era, is the Bible still relevant? Since I’m taking up space on earth and consuming resources that could be used by others instead, I should say so. Then, again, I didn’t have anything to do with getting here and being born; it wasn’t my idea. That was up my parents, Mim and Jim. And God, if you think God is still a player in world history. I didn’t have a vote, but here I am. The fact that the world has to deal with me means, ipso facto, that my life is relevant. Yours, too.
There’s a temptation both inside and outside the church to think that unless we’re hammering the pop issue of the moment, we’re not relevant. If we’re not talking about the Corona Virus, global warming, the upcoming presidential election, or March Madness, we’re out of touch. We don’t have the pulse of the culture, say some. It’s great for people to turn to the church when they want free counsel, votes, financial help, or an uplifted voice for the downtrodden, but otherwise many people would be just as happy to see us go away. Or, keep our religious views to ourselves and out of the marketplace. Relegate religion to the realm of the private and therapeutic.
We walk a middle way—not shutting up and remaining silent in the face of injustice, but not tweeting our opinion of every current event either. Someone recently challenged me about relevant preaching—I love it and welcome the exchange, truly!—but let me pose a question: Is Jesus relevant? Is the Bible relevant? I want to argue that both are timeless and timely just as much as today’s copy of the New York Times with “all the news that’s fit to print.” I think Jesus brings good news to bear on the bad news of this fractured world of ours when he quotes the Scriptures:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
Is hope relevant? When I prayed and asked what it would mean for a person to be relevant, I heard this: “to have an updated walk with the Lord.” This wasn’t what I expected; actually, it’s far better!
Pastor Jeff