Have you ever played the game Jenga? Or, are you familiar with the game? If you are not you have probably seen it played before. I have to be honest, I have never played it but I have seen it played several times by my friends. The game consists of a tower of pieces of wooden block stacked up to a certain height. Each participant in the game will take turns removing a block and placing it on top of the stack. If the stack falls while you are removing a block and placing it on top you lose or suffer the consequences or have to drink… I guess it depends on the variation of the game and the crowd you are playing with. It is funny that the word “jenga” is a verb from the Swahili language (used in several countries in Africa) that means “to build”. But, in the game you are doing just the opposite of building.
Anyway, I have watched my friends play this game and they get a little brave with the blocks they remove. Sometimes they might go for a block that might possibly work for them and also destabilize the structure so that the next person taking a turn will topple the blocks and lose. It’s almost nerve racking to watch. I mean you can go through and knock out a block here and a block there but there is going to be that one block that you cannot remove. It is going to boil down to a block and someone is going to inevitably make it fall. You have to know going into the game that there are just some blocks that cannot be removed without failure. If you think about it Jenga is such a great metaphor for life. You have to know that there are just some things that cannot be removed from your life without failure. There are some elements of every construction that contain so much significance that when removed, it will eventually fall. Therefore we must be cautious of what we reject from anything.
Simplifying life is a good practice. But, when a person over simplifies, the structure becomes vulnerable. For example: There are some parts we all need to remove from our diets. There are just some things we can do without. However, when we take away vital nutrition, we will start to fall apart. There are some people that might be good to remove from our lives (or maybe keep at a distance). But, there are also some people that are strategically placed and vital to our emotional growth. When you purchase a new car there are some extra options that you can go without. But, there are some vital pieces that are needed for the car to function. In our religious institutions and churches we have gained some practices, habits, policies, and protocols that we can definitely operate without. However, there are some things that cannot be removed from them without suffering detrimental consequences. Unfortunately, some churches and religious institutions have forgotten about the cornerstones that hold them together. Like a reckless Jenga player, they have started pulling blocks with disregard of the outcome.
Peter tried to explain to the religious leaders that they had rejected the most significant block of the Jewish faith. He did this with a very bold attempt while witnessing to the same audience that killed Jesus. It was literally the same people that constituted the execution of Jesus. It was the High Priest, his sons, and the experts of the Law. It was Peter’s chance for redemption. When his Rabbi was brought before this group for trial, not too long before this event, Peter cowered behind the crowd rather than representing or defending his Master. This time something was different. This time Peter had the same Spirit in him that Jesus had as he stood in front of this court. Peter was full of the Spirit of Christ. It was a new and fresh feeling that he did not have in him before. With this Spirit and being one with Christ Peter fearlessly spoke out to the court.
So, you might be asking why Peter and John were in front of this court in the first place? What crime did they commit to be arrested and set in front of the High Priest? Some of you might recall the story from Acts 3 when Peter and John were walking into the temple and a beggar disabled from birth was trying to make a few bucks. While many were looking the other way Peter and John approached him with empty pockets. They had no money to give. Instead of giving money they healed him in the name of the same person that challenged the High Priests and the Law experts. They healed the beggar in the name of the person that was executed for claiming to be the Messiah. When the religious leaders found out, they were a little disturbed because they thought they had snuffed out the flame of this radical that was stirring everything up. But, they are finding out that some flames cannot be snuffed out. There are some flames that only grow larger when you try to put them out. As Peter was standing in front of these persecutors he was holding that flame.
The Priests said, “Now say again by what power or by what name you healed this lame beggar. Tell us! I dare you to say his name!” Peter stands proud and respectfully says, “Are we here because something good was done for a disabled man? Are we here because someone was saved? Because, the man that was healed stands here before you because of the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene. Do you remember him, the one that you crucified? You are the builders of our faith but you have rejected the most important building block of our faith. You have rejected salvation.”
Peter made a bold but strong point for faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the most important building block of a believer’s faith, the most important building block of the religious institution, and the most important building block of the church. These Chief Priests and religious leaders arrested Peter and John for representing Jesus Christ through healing a man. They were persecuted for living out the mission of Christ.
The mission of Christ was ministry. The mission of Christ was healing. The mission of Christ was showing inclusive love and extending it to all people. Those are the roots of the Christian mission. We serve our neighbors with inclusive love in the name of Jesus Christ.
That is the cornerstone of our faith. Ministry is the most significant building block of faith. Ministry is what holds the church together. I am not simply speaking for one church but for the Church universal. When churches fail to place the ministry of Christ as the most significant building block, the church will fail. Some churches reject ministry. Or, they act only on the ministries that suit their personal biases. But, when there is a need in a community there is ministry to be done. When there is a place for healing, there is a need for the hands of Christ; there is a need for ministry. Acting on community needs, showing inclusive love, and serving our neighbors in various ways is the mission of Christ and it is ministry. That is the most important building block of the church. Without making ministry our priority, the church will become weak and it will slowly fall apart. As Christ followers it is essential to build on the foundation of ministry so that the church will gain strength.
What if the Church universal, religious institutions, and all of its resources started treating ministry as the highest priority? What if we all started seeking tools to heal people? What if the ministry of Jesus was the most important building block of the church? Some people might argue that that is what churches do but I do not see it. It is hard for us to see the church making ministry the priority when there are people dying of addiction, homelessness, poverty, lack of healthcare, disease, predatory lending, and all of these issues are passed down to the next generation. However, we see churches building million dollar sanctuaries and extravagant decorations with all of these issues in their back yards. We see religious institutions investing money into areas to make more money but these issues still exist. It sounds to me that the cornerstone of the church has become money rather than the ministry of Jesus. The setting of the church does not have nearly as much significance as the plot.
Do churches and religious institutions need to make changes? Yes, I think some of them do. We can always change for the better. Change is good for everyone and it constitutes growth in Christ. We can remove pieces and add pieces that will be healthy for the Church universal. The world needs to see the hands of Christ working in our communities and by making changes to the church and seeking the mission of Christ there is a chance they will witness it.
The point of the game called Jenga is to remove pieces of the structure without it falling down. The game gets more difficult the longer it’s played because you start noticing pieces that cannot be removed. You start to notice pieces that must stay in tact for the building to remain. Ministry is like that building piece that has to stay in place. It is the block that is holding the whole structure together. When you remove the ministry of Jesus from a religious institution it will topple to the ground.
I think the first question one must ask is are we using our resources the best that we can? Are we allocating our funds and endowments for the interest of Christ or our own interests? Do changes need to take place in your church? Perhaps God wants to use your voice for change. Perhaps God wants to use you to strengthen or uphold the building blocks of Christ in the church. Or, perhaps God is calling you to be the hands of Christ in the world and to reinforce the Cornerstone of our faith. Whatever it may be, may the fire of the Holy Spirit burn within you and be passed on to all those you encounter.
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