Is religion still relevant? If living Lutheran means believing grace is given freely to all, does going to church make a difference?
A recent Pew Research Center survey found Americans drifting away from all forms of organized religion and one-in-four young Americans (ages 18 - 29) not affiliated with any religion.
At House of the Rock, we believe that religion and church are VERY relevant -- maybe more than ever in this the 21st century. We are a congregation focused on living Lutheran through service to others as an outgrowth of our gratefulness to God for His grace given to all through Jesus our Lord.
And we believe that God gathers us -- as messy as we are -- and calls us into community asking us to be the church for the sake of this broken world. God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit is our past, our present and our future.
This video tells our story of "being the gospel" and "living Lutheran."
Video Contest: Congregation Entry
Be the change. Be the gospel. Freed in Christ to serve.
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LOVE IT!!! This is pretty much what is living in my soul at the moment. Thanks for the words.
This is an awesome video! It says it all for me. Thanks for sharing your phenomenal creative gifts!
This is an awesome video! It says it all for me. Thanks for sharing your phenomenal creative gifts!
John,
Nice video.
Wayne
I have to express serious theological concerns. The church does not gather around service (something we do), it Gathers around Word and Sacrament (Grace--what God does) where it is freed to serve. And therefore likewise, we are not the gospel, service is not the gospel, anything that involves what we do is not the gospel. The gospel is for us not through us. There is a very important difference.
I believe the church is relevant, I believe grace is essential.
The beginning about being broken was really good though, that's church. Broken, yet Christ died for her nonetheless.
Thanks Don. Most of your concerns might be alleviated if you were to peruse http://www.houseoftherock.com. But I love a great conversation like this, so here's some additional thoughts below. (If we only had an opportunity to have it over a coffee in person...)
We appreciate your comment. We (the church) certainly gather around Word and Sacrament. At House of the Rock, it's central to our gathering each week both liturgically and physically (it's in the middle of the worship liturgy and we physically gather around the altar). Word and Sacrament is the Gospel tangible in our ears and in our hands as we gather. However, the grace of God not just for the gathered body, it's for all of creation as I am sure you'd agree. So, in response, we gather also to serve.
The trouble I have with your statement, "service is not the gospel" is that for some who are being served, service the truest expression of the Good News that many of them could ever imagine, and as we read throughout Scripture, it often begins a transformed life in Christ. For the hungry, a sandwich is the Gospel; for the freezing, a jacket; for the thirsty, a cup of water; for the sick, healing... See also the paralytic, the hemoraging woman, the hungry 5000, the prodigal son, the man with the withered hand, and all of creation through Jesus' death on the cross.
We understand service as part of the Word being proclaimed to the world - which we teach and explain at House of the Rock - and that it's our response to God's grace through Jesus Christ, Savior and Lord, not a necessity for God's love and salvation.
The video is built around symbolism - the gathering of broken things to create the worship space, being amongst the broken world with graffiti and unkempt grounds, the bare feet showing Holy ground, the painting, the kneeler, and the door dropping out of the way as the child walks in.
Lastly, I point you to the altar as it's being prepped in the video where the symbols of Word and Sacrament are placed. The Scriptures, the chalice and the paten are placed there along with the cross - which points us to Jesus death and resurrection.
There is significant trouble with only having a minute or so to explain the entire theological understanding of the church, so, you know, you can only say/show so much.
Thanks a lot, Don, for your comment. We should never forget that it is not our actions, but rather God's action, that brings about our salvation. Thanks for bringing that up. It's true and we often forget that in a context that says, "you get what you deserve". You are spot on with your sentence, "The church does not gather around service (something we do), it Gathers around Word and Sacrament (Grace--what God does) where it is freed to serve." The trouble is, if we forget that as the Body of Christ we are then sent out to serve and love others, we might miss the point.
If you're ever in Atlanta, make sure to look us up and perhaps we could grab a coffee. I'd love to show you around House of the Rock, and please know that you're always invited to come on a Sunday night at 6:22pm.
INCORRECT LINK ABOVE...
http://www.houseoftherock.org
To the two writers above - both your comments are very powerful and insightful, and filled with loving concern.
What a wonder it would be if the whole Church on earth could focus on what you two emphasize in your comments above, and we could walk in the steps of Jesus - indeed, the broken and wounded world would say - what a loving God they follow, and see how much they love one another and how much they love us through Him.
- Jack in Wyoming