"Get It Yourself" By Pastor Chip Anderson 4/25/2010
Yes! as a mother of five "You have legs...(a.k.a get it yourself)" is a common phrase in my home when a lazy kid asks me to get them something they are full well and able to get themselves! After years of ministry I have heard over and over "I'm just not being fed" by church goer's as their excuse to leave or complain. In the article referenced,What "I'm Not Being Fed" Really Means I think it IS often a mask to a deeper issue. We often have an unrealistic expectation of a pastor's role. Church shouldn't be a 'fast food drive through' to satisfy spiritual hunger that we stop off at once or twice a week. A Pastor is not a spiritual 5 course meal to satisfy our every hunger pain either. When people say they want a 'deeper' message or Pastor, sometimes its that they are lazy and want the Pastor to carry their spiritual needs like a personal chef. We should seek not only to 'be fed' through the pastor but by the ministry as a whole and most importantly by the 'bread of life' (a.k.a J.C). My thoughts are if people are feeling hungry or unfed they're not eating the right bread:) And Jesus said unto them, "I am the Bread of Life. He that cometh to Me shall never hunger, and he that believeth in Me shall never thirst." John 6:35 But the key phrase is "He that cometh..." so if we are feeling 'mal nourished' it could indicate we aren't 'coming' after Him.
I am not going to church to get my full on meal, but rather to remind me of what I should be hungry for in this world and in my day to day living. The sermon should get me curious to explore God's word and God's will for my life in more detail. It should remind me of the basics I can easily overlook through the daily grind ,as well as provide direction for further study. If I equate 'spiritual' hunger as something that us 'church goers' need to have fed, then this would be my analogy of how we congregants can holistically approach this attitude of a church 'not feeding us'.
A 5 Course Meal to Being Spiritually 'Fed'
- Ambiance: Reflective,Contemplative, Needy and Spiritually HUNGRY!
- Location: The soul, heart and mind
- "Say Grace" - a.k.a give thanks, pray for the 'food' we are about to receive and for the 'hands' that have prepared it. We should increase our prayer life and live a life of gratitude over the things we have before us and the hands that have put it there.
- Appetizers/ "Cocktail Hour": )
This is like plugging into a church community, having fellowship, enjoying the worship, sermon listening and being able to refocus for the week.
- 2nd Course: Usually Soup/ or Salad
3rd Course - Palliate Cleanser:
A sorbet or special fresh fruit to get you ready for your main course and wipe the palliate clean. In order to be able to truly taste the richness of the upcoming main course, the previous tastes in our mouths may need a refresh or cleaning. This could be taking an inventory or note of our weakness'. We may have to get our lusts/sins in check or at least on the table to fully enjoy the main course. This could include asking for forgiveness, granting forgiveness, saying we're sorry to others and reminding ourselves to be humble.
- MAIN COURSE
- Dessert
- Now Pay and Tip. To be spiritually 'full' it will cost us. We will have to no longer be the final authority in our lives. We may have to leave habits, possessions and people in order to follow Christ. We will have to struggle to resist temptations and humble ourselves to our God, our families and our communities. We should remember to help others along the way and give testimony's or 'tips' to others about how God has changed our lives and sow into theirs.
In my simple example I think the Pastor's influence is important as a spiritual leader- but you can see that the influence of our time at the weekly church service is really just a small appetizer to our spiritual hunger. I don't expect to be hand fed each course with the Pastor wiping the spilled salad dressing off my shirt. No Chef re-makes the menu off of my personal taste as I walk in the door. But rather, I want to be given direction towards what tastes good to me on the provided menu, a highlight of the courses before me, the cooking techniques used, some history of the origin of the meal, and some wisdom from the Chef as an expert on how to work through this fabulous five course meal! Not to just end my hunger but to give me a full -well rounded dining experience that excels above a Happy Meal in the drive through.
This is how I find my spiritual fullness...