Raw Church Revisited

So what’s up with the raw fish references in the blog title? At the core of the meaning there is a precious reality that is found in the simple truth of God's love.  The church has been called out to share that truth in ways that impact the eternity of others.  Through the years of "doing" church our identity can easily be wrapped up with expressions of tradition rather than expressions of divine service.  It is our responsibility to maintain a vibrant, "raw" relationship with God through the presence of His Holy Spirit in order that we might get our hands dirty continuing the ministry of Jesus Christ until He comes.  This is my idea of the Raw Church-A fellowship of believers who are on a mission to serve others with God's love: Seeking to always be devoted to God, dedicated to others while being directed to serve.



The Back Story:
It all started on a party boat off the coast of Ocean City, NJ with my grandfather when I was about 10 years old. I can remember a few of the highlights of this trip like, waking up early while it was still dark, anticipating the boat ride, taking seasick pills, and finally gearing up while we were heading out to deep water. We were fisher-MEN, ready to encounter the behemoths of the deep. Well, the first fish that my Dad-Dad caught was a nasty, slimy, green eel that was about as thick as his wrist. I remember him firmly grabbing this serpent and maneuvering the hook out of its mouth. He  threw it back into the water, sat down, opened up the lunch bag and took out one of many thick corned beef sandwiches. He wiped his hands on his fish towel and proceeded to unwrap and eat the sandwich. “Wait a minute”, I thought, “It’s not lunch time yet and he’s eating his sandwich.” I wondered if I could do that?  Sure enough,  I got one of those sandwiches too. The joy of eating that sandwich was not the thick corned beef  with mayo; it wasn't the fact we were eating out of the normal schedule,  it was the fact that we didn't wash our hands and for a 10 year old boy, that's cool.  This was my initiation to eating raw fish, Unagi (Japanese for eel)  flavored corned beef sandwiches with my Dad-Dad. 

Well how does any of this relate to "Raw Church"? I think on two levels: 

One: A personal meaning-A few years ago, in memory and honor of that fine fishing experience, I took my son fishing on a party boat. We got up early, took seasick pills, anticipated the boat ride, and when we arrived at the dock, we got geared up. Of course, we were fisher-MEN, ready to face the mystery of the deep, with all our gear and sandwiches. True to form, can you guess what the first fish was that I caught? An eel! I couldn't believe it. So naturally, I reached for the thing, grabbed it,, and maneuvered the hook out of its mouth. With a reminiscent smile on my face, I reached for my fish towel so I could grab a sandwich honoring the fishing tradition. This is where things began to go sour.  I had forgotten the fish towel! I was faced with giving up on this long standing tradition or develop  a new ritual for the family fishing heritage. What resulted was a new Unagi tradition-Sandwiches eaten on a party boat while fishing off the coast of New Jersey are now "new and improved" with a healthier portion of eel essence.

Two: The teachable meaning-Once there were some Pharisees who came to Jesus and asked Him why His disciples did not wash their hands before they ate(Matthew 15 for all of you Bible students). They said, why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? Jesus turned this around and asked them why they break the commandments of God in order to preserve the traditions of men. You see, the washing of the hands was not commanded by God, it was taught by the rabbi’s and over time and with much practice, their traditions became law.

So Here's the Raw Fish Moment: As a follower of Jesus I need to let go of the traditions that are man made.  Things like worship style, church structure, and being overly judgmental   If I hold onto these traditions and allow them to dictate my worship, I could become like the Pharisees and damage relationships in the name of the “god of tradition”. Traditions can be dangerous for our souls because sometimes they can honor God with words and rituals but keep the heart tucked away and hidden. 

So, what’s up with the raw fish reference? It’s a philosophy, a paradigm, a method to living my life in the rhythm of the Lord Jesus who is the “Great I Am”-The One who is HERE AND NOW. His promises are for all who follow Him and can be experienced  NOW. He will never leave or forget about us He and also promised to continually fill us with His Holy Spirit, to indwell and abide in us so that we can understand and practice all the things He taught, lived and did. 

I don’t have to depend on the traditions of men, family or even the tradition of Unagi on a sandwich. I can live, raw, real and revealed for all to observe as I make manifest the love of the living Lord Jesus. You see, later on in the ministry of Jesus, He stooped down and washed the feet of ALL of His disciples, and then said "Do this." Jesus wants us to actively serve ALL  people.  We do this because He did this.  Period.
So serving others means serving Jesus, 

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40

This action is not based on tradition it's based on loving obedience to the One who loved us first.  Letting your light so shine before men so they see your good deeds and glorify God who is in heaven: This is ecclesiastical sushi, learning to be the Raw Church.