Chasing Jesus

Sunday's Gospel reading tells how Jesus and his disciples, exhausted from their work, make their way across the lake for a little respite. But the people skirt the lake and show up on the other side. Plus along the way, they gather others from villages and farms who are waiting for him when the boat lands. When he arrives, Mark says, Jesus "looked on them with compassion." He not only resumed his teaching, but he healed all those who were brought to him.

I wondered aloud today in my sermon at the Parkview why people don't still chase Jesus. Researchers tell us that not only are Christians diminishing in raw numbers in this country, but they aren't keeping up with the percentage growth of the country either. Attendance is down across the board. Even the Southern Baptist churches, traditionally growing every year, report the last two years a decline in professions of faith. What's going on?

Plenty. We're all busy. We're a nation of two career families or two job singles. We have more entertainment options than we've ever had in history. Not only can we watch dozens of channels of TV, we can Tweet, and Facebook and play video games and, well you know. But I don't think this is the primary reason. Let me add this disclaimer: this is strictly an opinion based on no research. I think the problem is Christians.

If we are the representatives of Jesus in our contemporary world, for the most part, we're doing a crummy job. We can't get along with each other. Heck, we can't even get along within our own denominations or parishes. Splits over beliefs are routine. Just not liking the priest or minister is reason enough to leave a parish or the church all together. While we give to our local churches, the amount that passes through to help the poor and lost is often less than 10% with the bulk going for institutional costs like utilities and salaries.

In short, we aren't looking with compassion at very many people. We do little or nothing to differentiate ourselves from those who make no pretense at being Christian. So why would anybody "chase Jesus" if we're the model for him in this world?

Guess I sound a little gloomy today. Maybe it's because according to the best researchers, within 15 years in this country, fewer than half the people will even claim Christianity as their faith and by 2050, the dominant faith in the U.S. will be Islam.

Peace?

Jerry+