Dear Cobham Park Church Family,
I have always been drawn to beautiful things: good books, art, well-made homes, fine craftsmanship–the list goes on and on. With the appreciation of nice things comes a strong desire to find, buy, create, collect, or otherwise make them my own. This is where things go wrong. I can begin to take greedy pleasure in the thought of these material things being mine rather than another’s. Thankfully, my wife at least helps to keep me from spending on items that we don’t need and can’t afford. God also continues to teach me how to joyously appreciate beauty without needing to own it.
I was reminded of this when I started my car earlier this week. I looked through a frosty windshield to see the morning’s first orange sunlight glimmering in the pines. Ice crystals on the glass sparkled with prismatic color and made the scene outside seem indistinct and dreamy. I snapped a picture with my phone, but it didn’t quite capture what I saw (as you can see above). I therefore took a few seconds to gratefully relish the beauty that didn’t cost me a dime. Have you noticed how no two sunrises are exactly the same? You can’t buy art this good! This is the kind of appreciation that God made me for. “But whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God, the Creator of all light, and he shines forever without change or shadow (James 1:17; The Living Bible).”
The church is also God’s beautiful handiwork, and His love glimmers everywhere among us. While our glimpses of Christ in others may be fleeting, they are many–and unrivaled in their beauty. I appreciate this every day as I watch Christ at work in your lives. God can’t be purchased or owned, but He can be gratefully relished in our hearts. Churches, however, can also be notorious for ugly hypocrisy and infighting. How can such beauty and ugliness coexist in the same place? I think it’s largely due to our desire to take what is beautiful and make it our own. Problems begin when a well-meaning Christian is drawn to the beauty of God’s church, but then desires to put his or her personal stamp on it. In time, we tend to get possessive: “This is mine.” We want the church to conform to our personal desires and agendas, and we’re frustrated when others don’t cooperate. Doesn’t most church conflict come down to this? You and I don’t need an ego trip and we definitely can’t afford it. A crucial part of church happiness is the letting go of one’s lust for personal ownership in God’s family. Loosen your grip on control. Give freely rather than making demands on others. Shun turf wars. Joyously appreciate rather than easily taking offense.
Thankfully, I haven’t found this to be a big problem at Cobham Park. If anything, your beautiful love for one another is an area of strength. Even so, let’s watch ourselves carefully, so as not to give the devil room to maneuver (Ephesians 4:27)!
In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Keith
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