magnetism

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07.19.09

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

MAGNETISM

LAMENTATIONS 3:22-26; MARK 6:30-44

The Magnetic Principle

Child’s Play

As a child, I remember that there was something I enjoyed playing with that wasn’t the hottest new toy, the latest board game, or even the Lego blocks that used to occupy hours of my time

While I enjoyed all these things, along with playing outside with my friends, there was something else that, if I had one or two of them, could occupy my time for hours
What I enjoyed playing with was magnets

I was amazed at the power of a magnet

I would wander around the house to see how many different things the magnet would stick to
I’d dump a box of paper clips on the floor and use the magnet to pick them up
As Christmas approached, when Dad and I would work on setting up the Lionel train, we always kept a magnet on hand to pick up loose track pins and screws

I suppose the thing that fascinated me the most about magnets was their power to attract and repel

It didn’t take me long to discover that that power depended upon how close the magnets were to each other
If they were beyond the bounds of the magnetic field they would do nothing, but if they were close enough, some pretty amazing things would happen
If the opposite poles were aligned to each other, the magnets would join themselves together, each pulling the other toward itself
If the same poles of the magnets were aligned, they would push each other away
It amazes me now how much fun I had as a child pushing a magnet across the floor using the same pole of another magnet.

Magnetism and the Church

The principle of magnetism is a principle that is relevant to the life of the church

We all remember the days when the church had a magnetic-like power
People were drawn to the church for more than just weddings, baptisms, funerals, Easter and Christmas, as it seems to be today
Not only was the church full on Sunday morning, but people would come out in droves any time the church doors were opened

A lot of that has to do with culture

It was a different day and time when the church was more than just a place to worship
The church was the center of the community and the community’s social life revolved around the church

How radical we think Martin Luther was when he nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany—the event that marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation in 1517

But in his day and time, such a thing was commonplace
With the church as the center of community, the natural place to hold a public forum was at the church
It was never Luther’s intent to cause a split in the church
He simply wanted the church to reform some of its practices so that it would be more faithful to Christ
By nailing his 95 theses to the church door, he was simply inviting people to a public discussion about the church’s ministry

That church-as-the-center-of-community mindset carried over to America and was prominent here through the middle of the 20th century

Since that time, however, there has been a dramatic shift in our cultural mindset
Christianity is no longer the only recognized religion in America; it is one among many
Gone are the laws that protected the practices of the Christian faith over other faiths in order to guarantee the freedom of religion right that’s built into our Constitution

Nowadays, people have a lot more options, and many of them are opting not to be involved in church at all

Some of them opt out of the faith because of the bad examples they have seen by many who call themselves Christians
Others feel that the church has lost its relevance to life in the post-modern world
Still others are simply too busy with other things to be involved in the church
Faith in God through Jesus Christ just isn’t that important to them

Add to that the fact that many churches have mired themselves too much in the traditionalism of the past

Unlike the early church that did everything it could to stay current with the culture of its day and make the gospel relevant in changing times, many of our churches today are generations behind our culture
The one place where the generation gap is the widest is in the life of the church
Just like the magnets I played with as a child, when moved beyond the magnetic field could no longer attract, as the church moves farther away from cultural relevancy, it loses its power to attract people to Christ
Just like those magnets also have the power to push each other away, we, too, push others away when our actions and attitudes don’t reflect the love and grace of God in Jesus Christ
The church is losing its magnetism

The Power of Attraction

Our Magnetic Savior

One thing we can say about Jesus Christ is that he had a magnetic personality

His life had the power both to attract and repel
He could easily attract people who found his life meaningful, his teachings valuable, who were willing to risk everything for the hope and forgiveness he offered
He could just as easily repel those who found his teaching outrageous, his life a little too off-the-wall
Fortunately, his life and teaching attracted many more people than they repelled

The power of his magnetism is seen in our story from the Gospel of Mark

Jesus always had the ability to attract a crowd
Granted, many of them were nothing more than curiosity-seekers, groupies who would run after the latest fad
But many more of them came because they were seeking meaning and purpose in life and they found that in faith in God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ

As our story opens, the disciples had just returned from their first missionary tour, and they were excited to tell Jesus about their experiences

But the crowds pressed in upon them so much that they didn’t even have a chance to eat
As Jesus tried to take them to a quiet place for rest, the crowd beat them to the other side of the lake and were waiting for them when they arrived

The Magnetism of Compassion

Notice the detail that Mark includes in his story: “When Jesus looked and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.”

What attracted the crowds to Jesus was his compassion—that was the essence of his magnetism
The crowds that Jesus attracted found no compassion from their religious leaders
They were smug and pompous, and had no time for those they considered the low-life-scum-of-the-earth
But Jesus was different—Jesus touched the leper, healed the infirmed, embraced the prostitute, encouraged the downtrodden, helped the poor, and fellowshipped with tax collectors and sinners
He was no respecter of persons
His love was equal for all, for they were all God’s children, all his sisters and brothers

That compassion is evident in the events that transpired next

As the day drew long and evening approached, the disciples came to Jesus suggesting that he send the crowd away so they could get something to eat
No doubt the disciples were listening to their own stomachs grumble since that same crowd interrupted their lunch
But Jesus refused to send them away hungry
Many of them were poor and by that late hour, the shops in the marketplace were closed

So Jesus said to his disciples, “You give them something to eat.”

Appalled by his suggestion, the disciples complained that not even eight months wages would be enough to buy food for everyone
Sending them away to find out what resources they had, the disciples returned with five small loaves of bread and two small fish
The loaves were about the size of a hamburger bun, and the fish the size of sardines
But in the hands of Jesus, that was enough
Jesus blessed the loaves and fish and gave them to the disciples to give to the people
And when all 5,000 men, plus women and children, had eaten, there were twelve baskets of food left over

Jesus never turned his back on a person in need

We, however, tend to be a lot more like the disciples in this story
We’re concerned more for ourselves than we are for others
Those who are in need can fend for themselves, or someone else can take care of them
What we have is far too little to make a difference, so rather than doing what we can with what we have, we choose to do nothing at all
Is it any wonder that people aren’t attracted to the church and to faith in Jesus Christ when they perceive that Christians don’t care and the church has nothing to offer them?

The Magnetic Church

A magnetic church is a compassionate church, a church that identifies and responds to the needs of the community it serves

It cannot be closed to its neighbors
It must be willing to welcome and accept any who come through its doors, and it must be involved in community life in order to take the pulse of the community’s needs
A church that is loving and accepting, and demonstrates its commitment to Christ by genuinely caring for others and responding to human need will attract people to faith in Jesus Christ and to commitment to the church
People will want to belong when they see the church demonstrating the compassion of Jesus

In his book, Needs-Based Evangelism: Becoming a Good Samaritan Church, author Robert D. Pierson says:

“The concept of needs-based evangelism is to respond to the needs that exist within the community and to provide the answers of the gospel of Jesus Christ to meet those needs. If we meet the needs lovingly, the invitation to know Jesus Christ can be made clear. The gospel is proclaimed in the course of meeting the needs. Then some of the people being helped will make a decision for Christ and become a part of the church....”
“The invitation can be made by simply building a relationship or friendship. Relational evangelism is natural in the midst of helping a person. Helping can be the first step that can lead to a friendship of love. People can experience the witness of Jesus Christ through the example of those who are helping. As they see Christ in others, so they will be attracted to the way of the church.”

The church exists to minister to the needs of others—to minister to the whole person, not just the soul

We cannot ignore the social implications of the gospel
Our primary responsibility is to demonstrate the compassion of God, which is new every morning, by following the example set for us by Jesus
Whatever we have to give can be multiplied five thousand-fold when it is offered in love and blessed by the hands of Jesus
Our compassion for others is the magnet that will attract people to Christ