Priorities

Let me preface this by saying that I trust, respect, and deeply appreciate the leadership at our church. That's not just an obligatory disclaimer as I wind up to let 'em have it. Amanda and I really are grateful for the men that lead our church. In the period following the fire, they have been exceptionally steady and their leadership is commendable.

We got a letter in the mail from church the other day with several items worth noting. The first one was related to the upcoming church plant. The church plant needs our prayers and, though it wasn't stated in the letter, they will also need funding.

The second item was about our good friends, Bryan and Jamie O'Donnell. They O'Donnels are moving away in the very near future to serve Christ by raising up worshipers in Japan. They are $28,000 away from having their one-time expenses (i.e. everything it takes to move a family to Japan) covered.

The third item was about the drive to raise money to buy a pipe organ for our new building. I don't know how much you know about pipe organs, but if you're in the market for a pipe organ of even mediocre quality expect to shell out $200,000 or more.

I can't remember where I heard it, but it's a quote worth remembering. "When your at war, you don't buy new tires." That quote came to mind as I read through the letter.

The back story here is that our new building, which we moved into a couple of weeks ago, doesn't have a pipe organ. We're used to having a pipe organ. We are, after all, a Reformed church. We like our hymns, and we prefer anything that came during or before the 19th century to everything that has come along since. We like bricks. We like hymnals. We like dead white guys. We like pipe organs the same way emerging church preachers like cuss words.

Still, it seems almost embarrassing that we would shell out $200,000 to support our Isaac Watts addiction when there are obviously much more pressing needs in front of us. As a result of the O'Donnells work in Japan there will be Japanese worshipers in heaven for all eternity. As a result of the church plant the heart of Lincoln will be transformed and redeemed for Christ as the needs of the people in and around the 9th and D area are met. As a result of a new organ, a bunch of upper-middle-class Christians will get to rock out to their favorite 200 year old songs. Which of these things seems like a priority that might need to slide down the list a few notches?

I should also mention that we already have an electric organ in the building that has worked just fine. As I understand it, we're renting it right now. I'm not sure what *that* organ would cost to buy, but I have it on good authority that a guy can pick up a sweet, portable electric organ for under $3 grand. Let's see… that would only leave $197,000 for the O'Donnells and the church plant to use to go into all the world and proclaim the good news to all creation.

While I think the word idolatry gets thrown around a little too easily in evangelical circles (food is an idol, cigarettes are an idol, your new Wii is an idol), I don't really know what else to call it when someone spends an exorbitant amount of money in order to honor a particular century instead of honoring the King and the advancement of his Kingdom. The building God gave us didn't come with an organ. As a guy who thinks hymns, dead white guys, and organs are pretty great, I think we need to accept that and move on. When you're at war, you don't buy new pipe organs.