The Inglorious Church
It’s not often that the Lord clearly speaks to me as strongly as he did when I walked out of one church. I stepped into the smoke-machined sanctuary with a comedian-leaning preacher teaching an emotional message. It felt like all a carefully orchestrated production. A spectacle. Smoke and mirrors. An elaborate play acted on a very impressive stage.
That’s when I heard “Ichabod.”
Now you might think it odd that the Lord would refer back to Ichabod Crane of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow when speaking to me. And that would, indeed, be strange.
When I got home, I remembered reading that word in the Bible before, so I looked it up.
The word comes from 1 Samuel 4:19-21.
Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near her time of delivery. When she heard that the Ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth. She died in childbirth, but before she passed away the midwives tried to encourage her. “Don’t be afraid,” they said. “You have a baby boy!” But she did not answer or pay attention to them. She named the child Ichabod (which means “Where is the glory?”), for she said, “Israel’s glory is gone.” She named him this because the Ark of God had been captured and because her father-in-law and husband were dead.
This unnamed woman, the wife of Eli’s horrible son Phinehas, has heard the news of her husband and his brother’s demise. Eli, upon hearing the same news, had fallen backward and broke his neck and died. All was lost. The Ark of the Covenant was now in Philistine hands. Glory departed. Ichabod.
Ichabod literally means inglorious. Put simply, “all the glory is gone.” The substance is removed. Only a shell without substance remains.
In the case of Israel, the very presence of God has been carted off into enemy hands. And God has left them to their own demise, eventually exiling them into foreign hands.
So when I read about Ichabod and I remembered my experience in that space, I shuddered. What if we have grown so accustomed to performing church, studying ways to attract more and more and more people that we leave God’s glory out in the expansive parking lot?
What brought about Ichabod’s name was Israel’s syncretism with the society around them. They rushed toward building their own empire. They worshipped idols. They forgot to worship God.
Are we any different? What if our idol is a successful, growing-at-any-cost church? What if we worship a pastor or preacher, believing them to be mostly infallible and in constant need of protection and praise? What if we are playacting at church while neglecting the very real matters of the gospel (sacrifice, love for enemies, humility, taking the last seat)? What if the good news we are preaching is laced with power-grabbing and personal empire?
Jesus lamented the Israelites who rejected him in Matthew 23:38. “And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate,” he said. A people without God is desolate indeed. And a church without him is to be lamented and pitied.
Going through the motions of church doesn’t make a church. Lights, flash, orchestration, and emotional oration is no substitute for the glory of God. The Holy Spirit is, and should be, the heartbeat of a healthy church. Imitating glory and instigating emotion is no replacement for the Spirit of glory.
Lord have mercy on us if our churches are inglorious, lacking the Holy Spirit, but full of our own schemes and productions.
We were recently traveling. It was a Sunday morning and we were looking for a coffee shop. We love to visit coffee shops when we travel. We discovered as we walked up that the coffee shop shared space with a church. The sign outside the church read- movie with a message and along with that free popcorn and soda. I just rolled my eyes at my husband. We ordered our coffee and sat at an outdoor table waiting while The loud speakers were blaring outside. Then it began. The announcement was find your seat and look up at the big screen and listen for an important message. Then I heard in that deep celebrity pastor style— the important message was- “the most obedient thing you can do is tithe and starting today for the next 12 weeks we are challenging all of you to trust God and commit to being obedient to give ten percent of your income to God.” I looked at my husband and said. THAT is the most important message? I was so irritated and all I could think of was what about the person who may have been struggling all week. You never know the struggles of people who walk through the doors on a Sunday morning. Thankfully they turned the outdoor speakers off and We drank our coffee and promptly left.
Prosperity gospel, church gimmicks. I’m so tired of it all.
Mary, I just want to thank you. As I have read some of your posts, it has given me a renewed appreciation and love for my small, full of Life and relationship, Church. The Holy Spirit is present and I miss it when I go elsewhere. I say this not to boast but to encourage you that your message is also cheerleading those who are trying to keep the focus on what is True. We can so easily and imperceptibly move in the wrong direction and land with a ‘safe’, lukewarm service. Seeing where you can end up is motivating to pray for what you have. God bless you and your ministry.