A young Christian packing his bag for a journey said to a friend, "I have nearly finished packing. All I have to put in are: a guidebook, a lamp, a mirror, a microscope, a telescope, a volume of fine poetry, a few biographies, a package of old letters, a book of songs, a sword, a hammer, and a set of tools."
"But you cannot put all that into your bag,'' objected the friend. "Oh, yes,” said the Christian.
"Here it is." And he placed his Bible in the suitcase's corner and closed the lid. ~ Author Unknown
(Wallis, C. L., & Hopkins, C. (1982). Words of life: A religious and inspirational album containing over 1000 quotations from the minds and hearts of writers of twenty centuries. Harper & Row.)
The Shiloh family made a courageous decision to cut its branch from an unhealthy tree, like I did long ago (see last week’s post). We’ve chosen to graft our Christian family to a new, healthier paradigm so that vitality and fruitfulness are hallmarks of our devotion to Christ. Some will rightly ask, “What are we grafting too?” “Is it another denomination?”
To answer that, I’d refer you to the story of my new paradigm, first, because it had more to do with internal change than with external appearances. I did not stop working in environments that tempted me to return to old ways of thinking. I still kept up with relationships that reminded me of past hurts and presented difficult circumstances. Focusing my thoughts on the long-game and gradual, permanent transformation caused me to reframe feelings and facts regularly. Reframing requires a new set of raw materials and skills. If you take an old photo to the craft store for framing, the expert will choose suitable matting layers and then draw stock for the outer edges. She will cut perfect miters and carefully fit them together. In time, the old photo in its new frame becomes a thing of beauty.
“Ok, Dan. You’re doing that thing where you mix metaphors and create cognitive dissonance.” So, I will now attempt to tie it all together. First, I’m proposing that we should not think of our breaking and grafting as a matter of denominational affiliation. Second, I’m encouraging you to join me in carefully reframing our situation.
It will be necessary to attend to practical matters as we move forward. Therefore, some of us will need a means of maintaining polity and doctrine (governance and religious standards). Likewise, there will be fiscal matters associated with operating an institution like ours. Alignment with another denomination offers viable options for meeting such needs. It would be reckless to associate with an entity that does not represent our core values, no matter the benefit. Isn’t that why we left the other one? So, we must feel sure about that next affiliation for the sake of our reputation and representation of Christ’s family.
Remember, we’re reframing… Once we’ve found a suitable partner for temporal needs, the primary focus of the Shiloh family is… what?
Our journey of discernment has revealed that our Shiloh family thrives on three essential ingredients and their elements: The Bible, family, and community.
- The Bible is a gift from God, whose Word (heart and mind) is unchanging, perfect, and true. It informs our relationship with God and each other.
- Family, in our context, is the intimate, committed bond of Christian Believers who share the One Holy Spirit because of the sacred blood of Jesus Christ. Therefore, our Christian family shares common spiritual DNA. Family unity is not dependent upon common lifestyles, languages, tastes, and traditions. We are all sinners saved by grace and born again in the same Holy Spirit.
- Community is the place and people with whom we live, work, and serve outside the Shiloh family. We look upon our community with the love of Christ and deeply desire its salvation and well-being. We understand that our Christian witness derives from personal discipleship and holiness.
Shiloh Church of Jasper will accomplish these goals by:
- Letting our light shine, free from worldly religion
- Worshiping God because we just can’t help it
- Loving the LORD with heart, mind, and soul
- Loving our neighbors with the grace of God
So, how does the old photo look in its new frame?
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