Relevance 1

Luke 11:44-45

At the end of a hallway in our house we have an old-fashioned, black telephone that dates back to the 1930s or 1940s I would guess. It was a gift from our friends. I really like the phone. It looks sleek and classy, but it doesn’t function. It looks good, but it does nothing.

Unfortunately that same comment can be said about so many faithful individuals. As Jesus continues listing the six woes against the Pharisees and leaders of the church we see a comment on irrelevance. What comparison does Jesus make? What is the response?

Jesus compares these religious leaders to unmarked graves. A gravesite or tomb is often ornate and finely decorated. It is usually built of stone and intended to last for many, many years. Such graves can be quite impressive, however, if the grave is an unmarked grave then there is not much point to it.

A grave exists to assist us in remembering the deceased. A grave is there to be a testimonial to the one remembered. An unmarked grave is useless.

So it is with so many religious institutions and faithful believers. We can become irrelevant. We can become pointless.

What is our reason for being here? Is it not to share the good news of Christ? Are we not here to give comfort and guidance to the spiritually and physically poor?

Yet, there are so many who refuse to go beyond the walls of their church to reach others. There are so many who refuse to adapt their mission or worship to become more relevant to our contemporary society. We gather behind closed doors and sing 300-year-old hymns, and we wonder why people outside the church are struggling and not coming to us for comfort.

And if such a challenge is presented to many faithful believers they respond as the experts did. “You insult us.”

Our church buildings can be ornate and made of stone, intended to be attractive and to last forever. They may be built to give honor to God, just as a grave honors the deceased within. But we cannot allow our churches to be the unmarked graves of God. We must become relevant, useful, functioning within the kingdom of God.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What needs to change to make your place of worship more relevant?