Allergies, Coors Field, and my dear Anonymous

In the comments on "Collecting Heads" my dear Brother in Christ, Anonymous, offered me the marvelous admonishment to keep in touch with my local church and to seek meeting them where they are. To let the body be the body, and to allow God to work thorough it.

I wanted to write back and say that I am, but two things hindered me in this.

First, its a bit of an embarrassment to be an aspiring writer who's doing good to successfully turn his computer on and off. The fact that I even have a blog borders on the miraculous. I went to the comments section, but wasn't completely sure how to reply. In the words of Yoda, "Embarrassing. How embarrassing."

Second, and perhaps more to the point, as I sought to articulate that I am, that still small voice answered, "Are you?"

Coors Field rather helps illustrate this point, if to no one else but me. Go to Wriggly Field in Chicago and nearly everyone will be decked out in Cubs paraphernalia. Any day at Fenway Park would boast a plethora of fans proudly wearing red to show their support for the Red Sox. I won't even bother mentioning Yankee Stadium.

But go to Coors Field when the Dodgers or Cardinals are playing, and the stands are not covered in Rockies Purple. In the seventh inning stretch of the last game of the season, the fans shouting out, "Root root root for the D-backs," drowned out those of us cheering for the home team. This is the standard of practice at Coors Field, and with fans like this, I'm more proud than ever that my team made it to the World Series last year.

Of course, we won't mention last years World Series.

Or the number of Boston Fans who flooded Coors Field from out of town when local Rockies fans couldn't get tickets.

As if there weren't enough Boston fans already here!

Not that I'm bitter or angry about it or anything! Damnit!!!

But on a lot of points, Church and Christian Culture feels the same way to me right now. Everyone seems eager to cheer for bringing people into the church when Jesus was clearly about sending those in the church out into the world. So much Christian music can only be considered fluffy anymore, and if I hear another praise song that says, "I will bless the Lord," or "We will praise you," (as though there's something wrong with blessing and praising the Lord right now) I think I might lose it and start a counter tune of "Take me out to the Ballgame!"

Don't even get me started on the number of times I've gone to work in a dark mood and the dear Christian company I work for has smiled that plastic smile and said, "Just give it to Jesus."

I did.

He gave it back.

Again.

A friend of mine once said that she was tired of the Christian hullabaloo and that she just wanted Jesus. With this statement, I whole-heartedly agree. My wife and I stopped going to church over the summer to explore what it meant to live Acts 2:42. I lead a time of worship in our living room. We prayed for our fellow believers around the world. We downloaded a sermon from lifechurch.tv. It was a great time of encountering God--I mean really encountering God. We tried to do lunch with another Christian couple, but in this we didn't do as well as we hoped.

In short, the only thing we really missed about the church were the people. Yet, how many times has my fellowship asked how I was only to walk away before listening to the answer? I don't miss the organ. I don't miss the choir. I don't miss the emotionally driven "I will praise you" worship mix. I don't miss growling silently in the pew because I just want Jesus, yet all the grey hair around me is cheering for church the way it's always been.

I feel allergic to Church right now. I feel allergic to Christian Culture. And I think I've developed this allergy because today's ideal of Christianity makes me feel like a Rockies Fan at Coors Field.

My dear Brother Anonymous, I would love to follow your advice and connect with the local body in fellowship. But the truth is that my wife and I have never really fit the traditional mold and feel as though we've had to wrestle our way in, and make our own niche. This September we've returned to our church, but we're wondering if we really want to say. I'm saddened to say this, Brother Anonymous, but Jesus put a high value on being honest, and I feel I must.

Again, perhaps God is calling us to start a church of misfits; a congregation where young families and grandparents are the minority instead of the norm. All I know for the time being is that the more I go to church and try to work within the body, the more I'm convinced that this isn't what Christ intended Church to be.

Don't get me wrong. I still love my Church Family, and I would be there for any one of them in a heart beat. In fact, we're having a dear friend from that congregation over for lunch this Sunday. We're still plugged in, as you suggest. We're still connected and still active.

Yet, I feel my true church, as defined by Acts 2:42, is my multi-congregation men's Bible Study; a group that calls itself, "The Spiritual Fight Club of Our Lady of the Blue TARDIS." When Dr. Who is a prerequisite for membership, it should be easy to tell how seriously we take ourselves. Yet, my dear Anonymous, you should see us wrestle with Scripture, or stand in the gap for each other. I pray my local church will become more like my Brotherhood; anti-pretentious, obnoxious, committed to the Apostle's teaching, to each other, to common meals, and to prayer. This is living Acts 2:42. This is the passion behind the Hatchet Twain Carnival Company. If you live in the Denver Area, Brother Anonymous, I would happily invite you to join.

Again, sir, I thank you for your comment, your admonishment, and your excellent advice. Please pray for me that I'll be able to follow it.