Watching the man in the excavator systematically demolishing our old west parking lot so that dirt moving can begin, I am reminded that very often, things have to be deconstructed in our lives before new construction can thoughtfully begin. There is a difference between demolition and deconstruction. Demolition breaks up into a pile of messy rubble. Deconstruction dismantles and recycles what can be repurposed for something new.
Deconstruction is a term used often now by people who have been hurt by the church in their lives and are wary of ever stepping back into that world. Sexual assaults and perversions that make the news are only the most visible kinds of hurt that too many people have suffered from pastors, priests, and laypeople who claim to follow Jesus Christ in their lives. Countless numbers of laypeople have been hurt by messages overt and covert that say, “your kind is not welcomed here” or worse, “God is sending you to Hell.” No wonder a record percentage of people in the United States claim no organized religion for themselves.
On the other hand, when basic, loving tenets and experiences of the faith can be found not only in that hurting person’s past, but also in a new church setting, then new construction of that person’s faith can begin and be built upon. In these last months we have received several people into membership who are finding here at FUMC Plano the grace and unconditional acceptance that was, for the most part, lacking in their earlier experiences of church. The love they experience in our words and in our people remind them that here they are “halfway to heaven instead of halfway to Hell.” That always was Jesus’ message; wherever he was, there was the kingdom of God, open-armed and embracing. Those who experienced that grace – more often than not– were moved to continue building a new faith that was “built on a rock.”
For the next three weeks we will explore Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth and how, in various ways, he encouraged them to open their hearts to a new experience – a new and gracious reality for their lives. All worship participants, in-house and virtual, will have an opportunity to explore with paper hearts where it is we each need some deconstruction and some new construction in our faith lives. I think it will be helpful to all of us who wonder sometimes what will happen after the concrete in our lives has been reduced to rubble. See you Sunday!
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
