So What?

We just baptized a little girl yesterday, which is becoming an increasingly radical act in the world today, at least if you understand something of what's going on.  There is this growing pool of research and analysis telling us religious types that a large and growing segment of the population just doesn't really want to smell what we're cooking.  These people have become known as the "Nones," which in verbal conversation can be confused with Nuns, which then can lead to some quizzical looks from your conversation partner.
I've been trying to wrestle with what it would mean to be a "None" and what might actually crack the shell of either apathy or antipathy that leads folks to simple say "none of the above" to all sorts of theological and religious choices.  I actually think it might be pretty important for the long term health of the church.
Here's where I get: I understand that there are just lots of better things to do with your time than to go to church.  I understand that without a relationship with God, worship seems like a rather strange assemblage of rites that are either ossified or kooky.  Maybe you like one style better than another, maybe one preacher tells better jokes or one church has a more inspiring band, but honestly church mostly seems like a waste of time if you're not being drawn into some sort of divine relationship.
The problem for churches is the question of how one arranges for that to happen on a weekly basis, during a grudgingly given hour.  We can't, and too often we try to fake it, which of course sets off the authenticity alerts of those who are maybe just a little bit interested, and it reinforces every negative stereotype of "plastic" Christianity that people brought with them in the door.
But we baptized a little baby girl yesterday.  I took some water, that came out of an ordinary tap, not from the Jordan river or anything like that, and I put it on her head, and she looked sort of surprised that her Dad had just handed her over to a big bearded guy in a pink bow tie and now all of the sudden she was wet and being paraded around in front of a room full of people.  I reminded them that they were children of God and something sacred happened.  In the church we call that a Sacrament.  Most of us in the room don't really understand it much better than the little girl, but we know something is going on.
What does having a relationship with God look like? And do you honestly need a church to have one? Religions all seem to differ about what salvation even means.  Do you need to do certain things? Not do certain things?  Do you need to believe certain things?  Do you even need to acknowledge that God is present and real?  Non-religious people seem to be capable of happiness and contentment and even fulfillment.  Atheists are capable of being kind and forgiving to others.  It is a mistake to think that all non-religious people are out there secretly suffering and just hoping that somehow the church will save them from it all.  The research is showing us that that is not the case.
Anecdotal evidence from believers, you know the "I once was lost, but now I'm found" testimonies are losing resonance.  There are too many other ways that people turned their lives around, a lot of them involved 12 step programs whose connection to the Christian faith is lost on many, other than the fact that they may meet in a church social hall.  What does salvation even mean to comfortable and privileged Americans?  We don't need rescued, we're actually doing all right thank you very much.
Did I mention that we baptized a little baby girl yesterday?  Did I tell you that you are a child of God?  Whether you believe in God or not, I have decided that I will no longer live in fear of letting people in on the secret of God's unconditional love.  It's possible that, if people don't fear damnation, or if they realize that maybe the Church isn't the only road to being a "good person," they will have very little use for this institution that I have given my life to serve.  But I'm through with making excuses or trying to sell Jesus.  I think Jesus is tired of being sold.
I think Jesus wants us to baptize babies, and tell stories to little kids, and get together for meals that we share in his name, to talk about our struggles and our challenges and to wrestle with the meaning of Scripture and how it shapes our life.  He wants us to work for justice in our world, and peace while we're at it.  He wants us to feed, clothe and house the poor and the vulnerable, and hold the hand of the dying.  He wants us to proclaim redemption to the captives (however you define captivity) and set the prisoners free.  So I'm just going to work on that list for a while, and I'm going to encourage the people in my church to do the same.  When we get all that stuff done, then we will worry about the statistics.