Beyond the Cloak of Surface Christianity

August 29, 2004

We've put on our best for you today, Lord: nice clothes, nice smiles, nice comments about our nice lives.

And in part this is all very authentic because, as we come to worship you, we come giving thanks for the many real blessings we have received - for our families, friends, jobs, homes. We come smiling because our smiles are rooted in joy for the blessings you have given us. And for these things we truly give thanks.

But of course everything is not perfect, and our nice clothes, nice smiles, and nice comments can't conceal that fact that many of us come today with real problems - problems at work, home, school.

We bring to your throne both our joys and our struggles.

We come not only to pray for ourselves, but for others: for those who are weary beyond description as they care for someone they love who is sick; for those whose hearts are heavy with grief; for those whose minds are heavy with anxiety; for those whose souls are heavy with guilt.

Lord, we live in a society founded upon the "pursuit of happiness". We certainly don't mind being happy, don't apologize for being happy, and ask that you would in fact bring happiness to our lives. But even beyond happiness, we pray for the abiding joy of faith that is based not on circumstances, but on grace and love. We pray for pleasant circumstances, but even more than that, we pray for faithful forgiveness and abiding, comforting love.

We ask that our church might be a place where we can be pleasant with each other, but also where we can be real. Help us to bring honesty to our faith. And to extend that honesty into our Christian relationships, and to extend it especially into our relationship with you.

O God, help us to set aside the cloak of a surface Christianity, and to replace it with the simpler, truer, cloth of Christ.

Amen.

Copyright © 2004 Broadway Baptist Church