BE the Church

Hello Basileans near and far,

I haven't blogged in awhile so I thought now was as good a time as any to say a few things.

Our 2009 motto is "BE the Church." In other words, instead of coming to church with a consumer mentality of "What can I get out of this?" or "What things are in place to meet my needs?" or other self centered thoughts, my hope for us is that we would be willing to embody the things that God has called the Church to be. In other words, instead of complaining about the lack of love, let's strive to love. Instead of criticizing what is good and not good about church, let's do the things that should be done. Instead of waiting for someone else to start something, let's do it ourselves.

In the spirit of the recent inauguration, I'll borrow a few phrases from previous presidents that are in line with our motto:

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
"The buck stops here."

BE the Church means to take a more pro-active approach to Church. Church is not a hotel where we should expect to be served hand and foot. Instead, we should be willing to serve the overall purpose of expanding the Kingdom of God. This will mean different things for different people. What does it mean to you?

Please pray and meditate over this question, and see what God speaks to you through His Word and Spirit.