Written by W. E. Hutchins II, on Wednesday, 26 December 2007

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Isa 58:11-12 (KJV) declares, “11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.  12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places : thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.”

2008 will be the year of new beginnings in old places. In fact, many will find a new beginning in what may have been considered old “waste” places. And yet, not only will it be a “new beginning” in the old, but it will be led by those who are called, “repairers of the breach, restorers of paths to dwell in.”

It could be said of 2008, it will be back to the future! Or, some might refer to it as discovering the ancient future!

It seems incongruous with this era of pragmatism in church-culture, that we would be encouraging you to consider a trek back to the future. However, in this age of mega-churches, mega-noise, & mega-death; where Hollywood “styled” church productions offer satellite services, wireless connectivity, pixilated narratives, show-stopping sounds reverberating through tweeters and woofers, there is a simple, antiquated clamoring rising from the lips of a generation who are hungry to return to a true Jesus encounter like those recorded in the Book of Acts.

The quest for the “new” has served to enhance the hunger! You see, the “new” comes with brilliant imagery and smart rhetoric, but its hollow sound is void of coherence and its “new” language preferences irony over conviction, which results in a cornucopia of religious activity that seeks to pander and please, but ends up being dashed against the mercurial moods of “situational ethics” and “ever-changing theologies.”

At the beginning of this New Year of 2008, may I encourage you to go back to the simplicity of true spiritual pursuit – discovering Jesus Christ. Pursuing the glory of the begotten of God requires naked honesty about the differences between religious activity and personal relationship. Do not rely on your father’s or grandfather’s religious heritage or church membership to suffice the questions of spirituality for yourself. Your salvation deserves an intense inquiry from you. Your future; your eternity deserves an investigation into the claims of all that Jesus is and all that He has promised you. Do not relinquish your hopes for a future paradise to the faint memories of a mother’s prayer. Be hungry to experience God for yourself. For I hear Jesus saying, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matt. 5:6).

One of the great tragedies of American Christianity today is that the signs which most distinguished the church as a community, those practices rooted at each end of the axis of its history – has in this modern era been sent packing in different directions.

One of those signs which distinguish the New Testament Church, (followers of Jesus Christ) from the rest of the world communities is the continual practice of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus explicitly commanded His church to continue breaking the bread and sharing the cup in remembrance of Him. In the communion service, we touch, taste, smell, see, and hear a story that then enters us as food and drink – a story of His body pierced and then glorified for us.

Another sign which distinguishes the New Testament Church from other world communities is the practice of baptism. In baptism, we subject our bodies to both burying and washing, to both death and resurrection, uniting the pain of His death with the relief of His resurrection.

Let it not be said that we are unfamiliar guests at a table spread for us. We must return more often to the table of communion and to the laver of washing. We cannot satisfy the hunger building in our hearts by occasionally communing with Him at His table. No, weekly we should revisit the story of our blessed gospel, His death for our life. When we chase after the ancient future, we experience the words, images, sounds, tastes, and smells of that story – the splashing of water, the sound of a breaking loaf, and the smell of pouring wine. It has been noted that one of the great deficits of grape juice as a communion element is that, unlike wine, it has essentially no aroma.

The Lord’s Supper is an experience whose order is much more magnificent than that of a Hollywood production because it is real and personal. It’s enacted with real water, bread, and wine and because, most of all, it tells of the world’s truest story – Jesus suffered, died and rose again for us all.

When we practice the Lord’s Supper, it chases away easy familiarity. There is an atmosphere of “holiness unto the Lord” and regal anointing. Communion services offer us an opportunity to approach worship in a manner which arrives to us from another place and time. Communion services do not flatter us by being new, current, trendy, or hip. No, it is here in this place where the holy fellowships with the corruptible. It is here that our mortality bows down before the Immutable, Indivisible, and Immaculate One. It is here where relativism meets ultimate truth and pluralism collides with the universal claims of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Join me in the genesis of this New Year by being refluenced by the Ancient of Days, equipped to build the future. You see, our challenge is that while many are focused solely on protecting Christian beliefs, many “believers” faith is spoiling because they have lost their “Christian” practices.

Make 2008 the year to detoxify from this generations rush for “newness” and join the quest to incarnate the gospel, making it “real”! To do so is to “practice”, not just “believe.” May it be said of you as you “practice” Jesus, just as they said of Paul and Silas, “These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also” (Acts 17:6). At the Church of Champions, 2008 is our year in High Resolution. Our High Resolution mission in 2008 is to be a Christ-follower who stands firm in Truth while presenting Living Proof of the Loving God to a Watching World.

Last update: Thursday, 27 December 2007

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