I remember when my kids were little. They were the cutest things. I would do anything for them. As a matter of fact, there is pretty much nothing I wouldn’t do for them still to this day. I remember when they were small I would feed them and clothe them and yes, even change their diapers. But there came a time when all of that had to stop. I had to stop feeding them, stop clothing them and changing them. If not what would they be like today?!
Now I’m going to get a little graphic with you for just a second in an effort to drive home a simple point. Imagine a young mother who is caring for her newborn child. She discretely goes to a quiet place to be able to breast feed her child. Nothing wrong with this right? You’re probably even wondering where’s the graphic part. But imagine that same young mother now about 30 years older. Imagine that once newborn now in his 30s walking up to his mother in her mid 50s saying he’s hungry. Imagine that same mother, now a little less shy, pulling up her shirt and letting her now 30 year old son breast feed. It’s just not right is it!?
I think pretty much everyone would find that a tad odd at minimum but somewhat offensive and even gross. Ok so put that image aside but not too far, because that’s exactly how we treat our lives as Christians. We come to church and expect the leaders, pastors, and called workers to essentially lift their shirts so they can be fed. I’m sorry but that ain’t how this is going down friends! I’m not in the feeding business. Not my job. Not my calling.
What I believe our calling as pastors and church workers and leaders in the church truly is, is to teach people how to feed themselves. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3 that when it was right he gave those new to the faith pure spiritual milk. That’s what happens when we first come to know of Jesus. We don’t know how to pick up a fork or knife or even a spoon. So we’re fed the simple things. We glean off the top, the simple to digest parts of the message, just like being fed milk as a newborn.
But in time we can’t go through life that way anymore. In time we have to learn to pick up our utensils. We first learn how to use our spoons. Then we are entrusted with the fork and finally the knife is handed over to our use. As followers of Jesus, we need to learn when it’s time to grab our spoons and start digging into the details a little more. Then we learn the way to use our fork and knife.
If you’ve been in church for any length of time, you should know by now how to grab a spoon and stop simply drinking the easy stuff. Go a little deeper. Dig into that stew of God’s word. It’s still easy to digest. Somethings may surprise us but you can do it. I can’t feed you what you need. I can show you how to eat. Teach you how to use your utensils. Even set the table for you. But I won’t be feeding you.
Throughout the season of Lent, we are taking time to learn how to use our utensils and read the menu. We’re essentially learning what spoon feels like in our hand and how to properly hold the knife and fork without hurting ourselves or anyone else. Our goal is that you stop expecting us to feed you and that you soon learn how to eat on your own.
Now lest you think once you learn how to eat for yourself you have no need of us anymore, the point of learning to eat on your own is so that one day you can teach your own children. And that’s no different in the life of the church. We are raised up in a proper understanding of the gospel. We are given the tools of bible study and prayer and fasting and baptism and witnessing so that we can tell someone else. So we can show someone else how to use those same gifts that have allowed us to eat of the good, healthy, meaty spiritual foods on our own.
So in case I haven’t been clear, I am not going to feed you. And all of you jokers who are planning on coming to worship on Sunday asking for food, just don’t! 😉 It’s time to pick up your fork and learn to eat. Then it’s time to take what you’ve learned about how to eat, and use that knowledge to teach someone else. I’m not going to feed you. As a mature Christian it’s your job to learn how to eat. I’ll give you the tools, but I am not in the feeding business.
I think you have hit upon something very powerful when those who have been ‘fed’ learn to feed themselves and others by what they have been fed! In that way the body becomes a healthy organism that remains healthy. Thank you.