The Narrow Gate

“Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.” ~ Matthew 7:13-14

As I sit at my desk to write this I am surrounded by pieces and parts of our plans for returning the congregation to the building for Sunday worship. After three months of being the Church without a building, we are finally coming home on June 14th.

When the great hunker down of 2020 began back in March I imagined a day when we would all gather for a glorious celebration that would eclipse the biggest Easter Sunday we’d ever had. I pictured a two-hour worship and reunion that would be extravagant and elaborate. Now, I am picturing a small crowd inside Shiloh’s largest space, seated as individuals, couples, and families spaced six feet apart. I am envisioning several cars in the parking lot with radios, smartphones, and other devices echoing my voice while a handful of staff and lay leaders direct worshipers so that they will be safe and comfortable.

If there are no significant changes in the current course, we will see the crowds gradually increase, and eventually, we will return to our former service times – albeit with safe-distancing and other precautions. The church, along with the rest of the community, will be methodically and cautiously returning to familiar routines as summer closes and schools reopen, but it’s difficult to predict what that will all look like. So, we prayerfully and thoughtfully press on as the days and weeks progress.

As I consider the state of affairs in our nation and wonder about the future, I am compelled to take the same approach. As today’s scripture reminds us, rushing ahead through the wide gate is perilous. Doing what satisfies the flesh with immediate gratification is easy and likely to fail, or even make matters worse. Shiloh and all the local churches in the land must not only restart but must reimagine a better form of worship, learning, and service than we had before. It is a God-given gift and obligation. So too, our society is in need of renewal and revival. We must reimagine our shared journey toward peace and prosperity for all. However, the way is through the narrow gate of righteousness.

The vitriol in politics and media help to fuel violent speech and actions. Passion for justice and deep anger are noble pursuits, but the wide, easy way will lead to failure and will likely make matters worse. Riots and destruction give the flesh a release of anger, frustration, and other felt needs but they do little to solve the problems. The narrow gate leads to thoughtful engagement and honest reconciliation. Like life after COVID-19, the solution to the racism inherent in parts of our society will not come quickly or easily. It will not come from its victims. The dominant races must accept responsibility and then take the narrow way of righteousness as they hold each other accountable for change.

As I consider my family’s future and the future of the Shiloh family, I am committed to the narrow way of righteousness. I am committed to a slow, methodical journey to the Promised Land. I accept my accountability to Christ and His Body, the Church. I will resist the easy, flesh-rewarding wide gates. I will live for my eternal life in the Kingdom rather than my temporary life in the world of the flesh.

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” ~ Joshua 24:15