Each day I try to spend time praying for the churches I serve. Each prayer also acts as a point of evaluation. Sometimes it is a prayer for myself, "What can I do to help this church, Lord?" Other times it is more of an assessment, "Oh God, help them!" The image I often get is a church that is either focused on building mirrors or one that is building bridges.
We do it as churches. We do it as individuals. We build structures that reflect our priorities. We invest in these structures to the extent of the value we place on them. Some mirrors are beautiful in their frames and clarity. Some bridges stand as monuments to their architects. Both are utilitarian in that they serve a real purpose. Is that purpose what God designed us to have as our focus?
When we build mirrors, we may be looking out, but all we see are ourselves. Using water as a mirror got old Narcissus in big trouble. Mirrors can be beautiful in clarity and design. They still have one purpose, to reflect the image in front of them. That mirror may be the judgment we use as we look at ourselves and condemn others by our self-admiring standards. (Luke 7:36-50) For people more often than not, it is a shallow opportunity to focus upon themselves or prioritize their personal needs.
For churches mirrors exist as well. When the pronoun most used is "we", the church has built a mirror. The church is investing in the image that it finds most pleasing to itself. When the church builds a mirror, it has cut off its view of the world and limited itself to its own perceived needs. When a church builds a mirror big enough, the real world disappears. All that exists for the members is their self-perception.
Harry Potter fans will remember a segment in which Harry discovers a special mirror that allows the viewer to see his deepest desires. Harry saw his parents. Ron saw himself as a sports champion. I have wondered at times what I would have seen. How much of my sinful nature would have interfered with my desire for Christlikeness?
As much for churches as for individuals we can build mirrors that are distorted and give us a twisted image in the reflection. When the mirror is twisted and deformed by false priorities and self-centered goals, the church will develop misguided plans and an unrealistic future. God's will and the guidance of the Holy Spirit are pushed out of the picture.
Or we can build bridges. Bridges show us the future even if we dare not move into it. Bridges show us what we could be. Bridges show us opportunities to be a part of something new and different. People build bridges when they develop and deepen relationships with other people. Churches build bridges when they open the door for their members to become salt and light in the world. (Matthew 5:13-16) Churches build bridges when they open their doors to all people with the encouraging word that everyone is a sinner and must walk the same path to living under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
We build bridges when we tell another person that they are important enough to us to invest our time and emotional energy in their lives. We build bridges when we decide that helping enrich the life of another is worth what it may take out of our own life. We build bridges when we live out the command to love our neighbor as ourselves.
The Church is the Body of Christ. The Church must carry on the ministry of Christ. Jesus turned no one away. They each decided for themselves if they were willing to pay the price of following Christ. (e.g. Matthew 4:18-25; 19:16-22; Luke 9:23) The Church must likewise build a bridge that says all are welcome to come and go with us. The keeper of the bridge, Jesus Christ will reveal the price of the toll.
Each person, each church, must decide if they are building a mirror or a bridge. I have never found mirrors very helpful except to show where I have been, and self admiration is no temptation at all! A bridge, however, leads to a whole new world, new people, new opportunities to show God's love. That is worth my time and effort.
