Relative Truths

Ok, so yesterday I saw an service van for a locksmith company.  The slogan they had on the side of the van said, “Old World Integrity, New World Technology.”  That was an interesting slogan and one that stayed with me all day.  I was thinking about how the world of being a locksmith must have changed over the years.  The locks we use are better today.  The ability to replace them has probably gotten faster and easier.  I would imagine getting locked out of your house isn’t as big of a deal as it once was.  Hey, I remember about 10 years ago driving to three different locksmiths before I found one that could make an extra car key for me.  I could have probably walked over to that van yesterday and they could have done it then and there.  So, they want people to know they have taken advantage of technology.

However, they want people to know they haven’t abandoned integrity.  When you hire a locksmith for something, you are placing trust in them.  Trust in a good product.  Trust in a completed project.  Trust that they aren’t setting you up for fraud or making extra keys to later steal from you.  You want to know that they have a history of integrity and are committed to maintaining that integrity.

Then, I started thinking about Connection Church.  When we started, I wanted to take advantage of new world technology: sound system, video displays, technology with the kids area, etc.  We wanted to present the best experience possible on a Sunday morning.  We want people to feel comfortable and think that what we do at Connection is relevant.  However, I want people to know that we are presenting a very old and time-tested truth: Jesus is Lord.  I want to be faithful to this 2000 year old message, and honor the people that have been before me.  So, while we seek to be relevant and “cutting-edge,” I still want the old message of Christ to come through.  After all, people are trusting us with their souls, a little more important than a spare key!

I thought this was fitting because on Sunday, our message is called Remembrance where we will examine the Lord’s Supper and celebrate communion together.  We’ll have video, new music, and a different way of doing things.  However, it will be the same meal that has been celebrated for centuries.  So, hopefully we’ll enjoy some old world integrity with some new world technology!

Ok, so today was an interesting morning at Connection Church in Suwanee, GA.  Most of you know that Connection is a portable church (we meet Sundays @11 am, North Gwinnett Middle School).  When we arrived with the trailer, Rebekah asked why we didn’t have the lock on the back door.  I was confused because the lock was on the side door.  Anyway, we just started unloading and setting up.  Shortly, we noticed a few things were missing.  We didn’t have part of our truss system that we use for stage design.  Also missing were the bases and piping that we use in our kids area, the hallway, and our worship space.  I know we loaded it last week.  It now made sense.  Someone had broken into our trailer and stolen some of our items!

Now I started wondering what we would do to replace some of the necessary things that were missing.  It was then that God said, “The only necessary thing for worship is My Presence and a desire to bring Me honor.” Last week, our sound system stopped working during rehearsal, so we were truly unplugged.  This week, a lot of our stuff was stolen, and it altered our plans.  However, we still worshiped.  The kids in Connect 4 (whose lesson was patience, go figure) still heard about God’s love and plan for them.  In the worship space, we still sought to uplift God.

I guess the truth I learned this morning is that it’s just stuff.  Yea, it was nice stuff.  It is stuff we’ll have to replace (hopefully before next week!), but it’s just stuff.  God is still present, and more importantly, still in control.  Overall, it was a great morning at Connection, and I am so blessed to serve and praise at a place where God reigns!