Resistance to change is what holds us back from more of the presence of God, many times. We are comfortable to sit in our chairs, listening to the same music we have heard for the past 10 or 20 years, singing the same songs in the same rhythmns, hearing the same preachers say the same things.
We have not allowed the openness which welcomes in Holy Spirit to be a part of our church, our lives. We get scared when change seems to be knocking on the door. We discourage all forms of different in worship. We have squelched the creativity of the Creator God.
We like to stay where we are. We can’t tell what might happen if we let some new worship leaders in, if we let in some new songs, if we let in some new people to preach. We don’t know what they will say, we don’t know how the music will be, we don’t have everything already planned out if we let any New things come in.
We don’t have liturgy, but we are as resistant to change as churches that do. We don’t have bulletins that outline the service, but we comfortably move through the same routines every week, trying to feed hungry souls from a basket of dried-up crusts. We try to quench the thirst of hearts that have not had a drink in years, but we are trying to get water from a dried-out creek bed.
Holy Spirit moved on when He realized He wasn’t welcome anymore. Holy Spirit left, and with Him, left the River of Life that flows from the throne. Holy Spirit is creative and not afraid to have people falling on the floor, laughing in the wondrous presence of a God who has a sense of humor, who says “Come drink from me, get drunk on my spirit!”
We have slowly shut the door that used to be open to God’s permeating presence. We let it shut over time, over years of fears laying hold of us. We have closed the door that now stands firmly shut, rusting on its hinges, the lock still unlocked, as our feeble attempt to say “We still want you Holy Spirit.” But the truth is:
We don’t want Holy Spirit. We don’t want the change that comes with Him coming in. We like the status quo. It is safe.
We appear to be like Susan in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.:
“Is he– quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“That you will dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver, “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most, or just silly.”
“Then He isn’t safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “…Who said anything about safe? Course He isn’t safe. But He’s good.”
God is good, not safe. If we want more, if we truly are after Him, we need to open up to change, open up the atmosphere of our hearts, of our churches, of our lives, to change that will throw us all out of our comfort zones. We must change the status quo, and wrench open that long-closed door to let Holy Spirit back into our church.
And I tried to shoo the dog away. I do not like dogs much, definitely not African dogs, even if it is tame.
