OLD FORMULAS

Frederick Buechner wrote, “Preachers tend to forget this. “Accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and be saved from your sins,” or something like that, has meaning and power and relevance only if the congregation has some notion of what, humanly speaking, sin is, or being saved is, or who Jesus is, or what accepting him involves. If preachers make no attempt to flesh out these words in terms of everyday human experience (maybe even their own) but simply repeat with variations the same old formulas week after week, then the congregation might just as well spend Sunday morning at home with the funnies.” 

Stay home with the funnies indeed! Because this sort; and level of presentation is comic. Who came up with this ‘close your eyes… and no one is looking… and raise your hand… and you will be saved… and if you drop dead tonight will you go to heaven?” When one reads the gospels… it just seems that there is much more involved in becoming a follower of Jesus Christ by his invitation, “Follow me.”

“Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jesus