You Got To Serve Somebody

He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" (John 9:25)


OK, let's admit it. There are times when you are in line at the supermarket and you glance over at the tabloids.  I'm not saying you buy them, or even pick them up to read. But you glance at the cover. You probably chuckle at the headlines "Mutant Bat Baby found in the Ozarks."

We chuckle at these, shake our heads, and go on.  We don't really believe them.  They are beyond the realm of reality. I can remember being in line with my mother 40 years ago and they were trying to catch the Bat Baby then. Even given a different rate of maturity, surely the Mutant Bat baby would have reached some sort of Bat pubescence by now.  My thought process on this has probably gone much farther than yours. Why? Because we know one cannot believe the things we see on these tabloid fronts.  And, while amusing, we don't read them, even if we want to.

Which is what makes the Internet so convenient. We can, in the privacy of our own homes, read all sorts of fantastic statements purporting to be true. And, for some odd reason, because they come to us in an email, or on a website, we are willing to believe them. Of course most of them end up being no more true than the bat baby.  But every now and then one of those bizarre stories ends up being true.

I was sent this article the other day, stating there is an Atheist MegaChurch out there. Yep, a large church for people to gather and worship who don't believe in God.   Here is the link:
 http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ATHEIST_MEGACHURCH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-11-10-17-03-15

When I first read it, it seemed to belong in the bat baby realm. Really? A church full of people who don't believe in God?  At best I thought it a joke, a way to poke fun at the church. And maybe it started out that way. But if you read the article, it's clear the people are sincere in what they do.

I don't want to spend time today talking about atheist vs. Christian. Rather than look at what they are doing, it may be more helpful to ask ourselves why are they doing it?  Why would a group of people who don't believe in God  gather like this?

If we are to believe the Scriptures it makes perfect sense why they do this. We have been created by God for worship.  It's a part of our spiritual DNA. We were created to worship and give God glory.  And it doesn't mater whether we believe in God or not, that need will manifest itself somehow.  Every human will find something to worship. For we Christians it's in the Triune God. For the atheist it's themselves, or humanity,  or some personal moral code.  SO if we were made by a God who is from eternity in community (The Trinity) and made to worship, isn't it the most natural thing for us to wish to gather together and look to something beyond ourselves to help us make sense of the world?

So how then are we more right then they are? We could give a lot of logical arguments as to why we believe in Jesus over a "moral code" or humanism.  But to me the best argument is the argument of  the blind man in our Scripture. Jesus heals the man and when questioned by the Pharisees, the man's answer is in essence this: "Here's all I know. I was blind and now I see. I believe because Jesus changed me."

That's why I worship Jesus. Beyond the logic and reason, such as what we find in C. S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity," I believe because I am different than I was before I met Jesus. My life took a different path. And, while not yet perfect, I have more love than I did before I met Him. I have been changed in my mind and heart in ways I would never have accomplish on my own.

But let's not yet be to harsh on the atheists. At times we have more in common with them then we care to admit.  Sometimes even good church goers forget who they are supposed to worship. We come to church on Sunday. But we worship money, or power or fame. We worship youth or we worship lust.  We worship things and heaven help us at times we worship ourselves. Where we attend church may not be the best indicator of who holds our heart.

Who do you have more in common with, the atheist, or the man given his sight?  Bob Dylan was right when he sang "You Got To Serve Somebody." Everyone is created with a need for worship. Will you worship the things that are empty and will pass away, or worship the One who is eternal? As for me, I choose to worship the One who has changed me and continues to change me. What are you going to do?

  In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><