Jesus is not the reason for the season

Often it is argued that "Jesus is the reason for the season" as a way to ensure a specific way of understanding Christmas is upheld. But the fact of the matter is that Jesus is not the reason for the Christmas season. 

The reason we celebrate Christmas day is because there are other days when tragedy happens. 

The reason God came to humanity in the form of Christ at Christmas is because of darkness among humans. The reason for the season of Christmas is the darkness of humankind.

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Totally took this image from another church

Jesus is the response, not the reason.

Think of it like going to the doctor. The reason we go to the doctor is because of an ailment or sickness. We do not go to the doctor because the doctor has access to treatment. The treatment is the response of the doctor to the reason you are there - a sickness. 

The more we focus on the light (Jesus) we do not see how much darkness there is... And, even more than that, we live in the dark much of the time.

The reason for Christmas is because of darkness. Jesus would not have been sent if we lived in the light.

Living with sin of the past

In the Bible there are a number of times when God tells the people that they will live with the sin of their ancestors up to several generations. 

It was once described to me in ecological terms. We are still living with the consequences of burning fossil fuels at massive rates. We are living with the sins of the past.

Being a church leader it is clear that the current crop of church leaders are living with the sin of the past church leaders. 

Today's leaders have to navigate the past hate toward the LBGT community. We have to build trust that was lost from scandals in the church. We have to build integrity that was lost when previous generations acted with less than noble actions. 

Of course I have  concern that the sin of the past is too much to overcome in one generation.

However, my greater concern is that the next generation will have to overcome my sin.

Observer effect and church metrics

The last post I mentioned the UMC is measuring a number of stats for a local church (which is not new) and it is unclear how the UMC desires to use this data just yet. I also mentioned that I was interested in knowing less about the current position of the church and am much more interested in the momentum of the church.

The problem is that, according to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, it does not seem possible to measure the position and the momentum of something at the same time.

Complicating the matter even more, there is something in physics called the "observer effect".

The observer effect says that just by observing something you change what is being observed.

We know this on some level already because many of us would like to have the super power of invisibility to see what others would do/say if they were not being watched. The rise of voyeurism in the culture is an example of the fact that we act differently if we know we are being watched. 

Makes sense for people, but what about non-animate objects? Do non-animate objects change when being observed?

Apparently, yes.

The common example is observing tire pressure. To know the pressure you have to let some pressure out - thus changing the pressure and never knowing the true pressure. 

The UMC has made an effort to being to observe several numbers. So the question becomes, by observing, say worship attendance, change the nature of worship attendance? 

I might suggest yes it does.

When you observe worship attendance then it becomes something that people "do". Like going to the store each week for food. When worship is something that is 'done' then we describe ourselves as people who "attend" worship. 

But let me be clear. Worship is not something that Christians do. Worship is something that is a part of the being Christian. We do not "attend" worship as though it happens in a single time and space. Worship is a constant in the world. When we gather on Sunday we are not "doing" worship but rather joining in the worship that predates our time.

When we measure/observe worship attendance, we change the nature of worship from something that we are to something that we do. We change Christianity from a lifestyle with a set of values to a social club with a set of activities.