This go round, I came across a snippet that I had partially highlighted but don't think I thought about deeply enough. Here's the passage by Keller:
Why did Jesus die for us? What was Jesus getting out of it? Remember, he already had a community of joy, glory, and love [in his relationship of the Trinity]. He didn't need us. So what benefit did he derive from this? Not a thing. And that means that when he came into the world and died on the cross to deal with our sins, he was circling and serving us. "I have given them the glory that you gave me" (John 17). He began to do with us what he had been doing with the Father and the Spirit from all eternity. He centers upon us, loving us without benefit to himself. pp. 220-221 (bold emphasis mine)That last sentence stopped me in my tracks. It made me think about my church: the ELCA. It made me think about our declining worship attendance, declining resources, and state of high anxiety. It made me think about congregations and their ability to reach out into their communities with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
And it made me ask: are we imitating Jesus when we seek to proclaim the news of His death and resurrection? Are we imitating Him when we seek to make disciples of all nations and teach them everything He commanded? Are we imitating Him by centering ourselves on others, loving them WITHOUT BENEFIT TO OURSELVES?
Or, are we seeking to increase our worship attendance?
Are we seeking to get members?
Are we seeking to make ourselves look better by the tangible things of increased offerings, etc.?
There is so much talking about righting the ship of the ELCA and reversing the trends of decline, but is it even possible to enter into the thought that such a thing will not be done unless we give up thinking there will be some benefit to ourselves?
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