We need to find God

I or We. At some point along the line the worship in Churches became about I or We. I want, I like, We want, We like and if you don't we will stamp our feet, argue and find every possible reason to focus on this one issue to the point of excluding all mission.

 It is partly a flaw of Anglicanism. In a Church which encourages the idea that faith can be whatever and however we like as long as we all love Jesus. Which on the surface is a lovely idea. The idea that we all hold hands and get along is a fantastic one. But if you encourage people to believe whatever they feel like and to worship in whatever manner they decide, worship becomes consumerist. Now no one approaches a Parish Church thinking this is my Church, my community, my faith, my home. They approach it from where is the nearest Church that gives me a bit of what I fancy whether it be a Smoothie Bar or Smells and Bells. It concerns me greatly.

In recent conversations I have had, not one of them have been about making sure Christ is the center of our Parish Life. Instead they are about what words we use, when we have events and separating God from the events. Almost as if we are almost embarrassed to be Christian, to have a conviction, to believe in something. The focus is definitely inward, rather than towards God and without a doubt on ourselves rather than our Mission.

Having a doctrine, having a liturgy, having a Eucharist, gives us a focus. It forces our eyes outwards and upwards, as there is nothing to debate about. It does not suit everyone and it is challenging. It is not by any means the east way out. Being a Christian is about challenging society and it's norms. Trying nudge by nudge to turn those secular eyes God ward. We are meant to live a life that is worthy of Christ. When we sit at the Altar and receive communion our eyes should be on the Body and Blood and heavenwards. If we can not even focus our eyes for this short time on God, then what hope have we of focusing on that in life. Therefore, it follows that we don't stand a chance of bringing that focus, that life out into society. If we as Christians are readily and willingly focusing on us rather than God, how can we expect others to turn their gaze heaven ward to the glory that awaits them.

I am finding myself increasingly frustrated by the constant debates both locally and nationally. What we believe has been decided, it was laid down long ago. The creed we stand and say each week is in direct conflict with much of what the Anglican Church now upholds to be true. With each fracture and with each decision we have moved further away from Christ. Further away from salvation and our focus drifts further away from God. He becomes a distant and ethereal being, his teachings no relevance in today's society. The Church adopts more and more secular ideals in an effort to become cool, to become attractive and truth is drowning in the influx. Belief has become diluted and what we want, what we desire becomes central. God is lost.

There has never been a time when being a Christian was easy, where being a Christian made you liked. It has more often than not led to being disliked, even hated and sometimes martyred. Are each one of us prepared to die for our faith. Defend our beliefs until the end. It appears to me that increasingly we are not. We are prepared to pick the comfortable life, the uneventful life. We are drifting, having lost our moorings. We will drown and be lost, if we can not or will not turn our eyes back to Christ.

" We need to find God, and he cannot be found in the noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they moved in silence....We need to be silent to be able to touch souls."

Mother Teresa