1 Timothy 3:14-16 In the Household of God

Observation: Paul has been writing some advice about who is qualified to be bishops and deacons, and how they should conduct themselves. Then he reminds Timothy of the reason these roles exist: because we belong to the household of God, and the mystery of Christ who was "revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed by Gentiles, taken up in glory."

Application: Churches are not clubs. Churches are not clubs. Churches are not clubs, churches are not clubs, churches are not clubs, churches are not clubs, churches are not clubs. This is God's house, not ours.

Okay. So now that I got that off my chest....

Some of what they call the "Pastoral Epistles" (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus) seem to be more concerned with church order and rules than other New Testament writings. They were probably written later, as churches were getting more organized. They even reaffirm some Greco-Roman gender roles in a way I find less than helpful. Frankly I have had a difficult relationship with these letters after which I'm named.

But as rule-based as it seems to be, it's a helpful reminder that the rules aren't the bylaws of a club. We're not just together to have fun and hang out. There are plenty of places to do that. We're here because we're mutually grasped by a great mystery: God made flesh in Christ. That should clue us into the importance of what we do as church, and of doing it very well, but also it should remind us of the limits of human structures for holding up in the face of such earth-shaking truths.

Prayer: God, help us be more than a club. For real, Lord. We need your help with this. A lot. In Jesus' name, Amen.