This offertory was different from most that I had seen, and it caused me to consider how the church should work. Maybe there is something here for all of us to learn.
The modern church is not dead, but undead. The dead at least have the manners to be done with it and lay politely in their grave. But the church of the 21st century fills me with confusion. Its decay and disease have betrayed the church’s intended form and, unfortunately, spread worldwide. We see today not the ekklesia of the first century but a Zombie Church.
The word Backslider comes from the Hebrew word מְשׁוּבָה, which means to turn back. Over the years, this word has lost some of its meaning and become inadequate. It is now something we joke about and use in everyday language.
We Christians are strangely devoted to how we do Church. We love tradition. We enjoy the feeling of going to fellowship with other like-minded people in a beautiful building. We delight in hearing the choir or worship team sing and listening to the inspiring messages. We appreciate the children’s programs and youth mission trips.
But are these traditions producing the result that Jesus expected from his Church?