The Journey 144
Read: Luke 7:36-50
A Church for Bikers. I was fascinated by this concept and the group, which was reported by the CBS Philly news yesterday. A group of believers who loved Jesus and also their bikes or motorcycles. They are a very unique group. They are synonymous with leather jackets, tattoos on their bodies, well built physique and riding bikes that makes loud noises. But it is this unique group who have also a passion for the Lord and thus the BIKERS CHURCH. The way BIKERS CHURCH was formed is very unique. The Biker Church was formed by members of the Birmingham Chapter of Bikers for Christ. These believers who had a passion for their bikes and driving on bikes used to frequent a restaurant called Courtyard 25, in Vandiver, Alabama. One day the owners of the restaurant approached the biking community about using a vacant building to hold church service. In fact the most wonderful aspect of this incident is that, the day they were asked whether they needed the vacant space for worship, was the same day when the bikers also planned to talk to the owners themselves about this possibility. It started as just a 4 member congregation; and last Sunday on May 20th about 30 bikers were in attendance for the Sunday service. It is Pastor Alan Rusmisel who leads this group. As a fellow members of Bikers for Christ, Alan Rusmisel and a few friends wanted to create a place for bikers to worship. According to Alan, the stereotypes of the bikers wont fit in the main stream church and he feels that is very unfortunate. According to the Bikers, when they come to the mainline church’s they tend to looked down upon and condemned. Hence we decided to do our own way of worship. What the bikers do every Sunday is that , the bikers looking to take a nice ride and hear the word of God put on their Sunday leather vest and meet up at bikers church. Here is a church that is entirely different from the way we all perceive and conceive the church, its worship and also the worshipping community. What is distinct about the Christian community of bikers is that they also have a passion for the Lord and for spreading the gospel message in their own unique ways to a community of people who are unreached by the main line church’s. This week we are meditating on the theme “ Transformation in our parish. The portion that we will use for our meditation is from Luke 7: 36-50. This is one of the most poignant incident related to a woman who comes to meet Jesus when he is dining at a Pharisees' house. There is no conversation between the woman and Jesus. All that we know is that she had a very bitter past because of the sinful lifestyle that she lived. She comes to the presence of Jesus Christ and wets his feet with her tears and pours the perfume on his feet. This scene is repulsive for the Pharisees because of the woman’s past and because of the pre conditions of Pharisees to the concept of “Holiness”. They condemn both Jesus and the woman. But it is here that Jesus looks not at the perfume nor at the past of the woman, but the tears that she expressed. It is the expression of her tears that showed her love for the Lord, and the change of heart that she had, the true repentance that she showed in her life. Yes the stereotype of the woman was not accepted in the main line community of the Pharisees and hence the condemnation. I think when Jesus accepts the woman and forgives her, he also conveys through His actions, that the church or the so called believers is also called to accept and acknowledge people whose way of life and living may be totally different from us. It is in acceptance without condemnation that helps the worshipping community to make the gospel message relevant to a group who may not fit into the way we understand the church or the worshipping community. Let us also make an honest effort in our parish to see to it that we live a life that encompasses every one without any judgment or condemnation
A Church for Bikers. I was fascinated by this concept and the group, which was reported by the CBS Philly news yesterday. A group of believers who loved Jesus and also their bikes or motorcycles. They are a very unique group. They are synonymous with leather jackets, tattoos on their bodies, well built physique and riding bikes that makes loud noises. But it is this unique group who have also a passion for the Lord and thus the BIKERS CHURCH. The way BIKERS CHURCH was formed is very unique. The Biker Church was formed by members of the Birmingham Chapter of Bikers for Christ. These believers who had a passion for their bikes and driving on bikes used to frequent a restaurant called Courtyard 25, in Vandiver, Alabama. One day the owners of the restaurant approached the biking community about using a vacant building to hold church service. In fact the most wonderful aspect of this incident is that, the day they were asked whether they needed the vacant space for worship, was the same day when the bikers also planned to talk to the owners themselves about this possibility. It started as just a 4 member congregation; and last Sunday on May 20th about 30 bikers were in attendance for the Sunday service. It is Pastor Alan Rusmisel who leads this group. As a fellow members of Bikers for Christ, Alan Rusmisel and a few friends wanted to create a place for bikers to worship. According to Alan, the stereotypes of the bikers wont fit in the main stream church and he feels that is very unfortunate. According to the Bikers, when they come to the mainline church’s they tend to looked down upon and condemned. Hence we decided to do our own way of worship. What the bikers do every Sunday is that , the bikers looking to take a nice ride and hear the word of God put on their Sunday leather vest and meet up at bikers church. Here is a church that is entirely different from the way we all perceive and conceive the church, its worship and also the worshipping community. What is distinct about the Christian community of bikers is that they also have a passion for the Lord and for spreading the gospel message in their own unique ways to a community of people who are unreached by the main line church’s. This week we are meditating on the theme “ Transformation in our parish. The portion that we will use for our meditation is from Luke 7: 36-50. This is one of the most poignant incident related to a woman who comes to meet Jesus when he is dining at a Pharisees' house. There is no conversation between the woman and Jesus. All that we know is that she had a very bitter past because of the sinful lifestyle that she lived. She comes to the presence of Jesus Christ and wets his feet with her tears and pours the perfume on his feet. This scene is repulsive for the Pharisees because of the woman’s past and because of the pre conditions of Pharisees to the concept of “Holiness”. They condemn both Jesus and the woman. But it is here that Jesus looks not at the perfume nor at the past of the woman, but the tears that she expressed. It is the expression of her tears that showed her love for the Lord, and the change of heart that she had, the true repentance that she showed in her life. Yes the stereotype of the woman was not accepted in the main line community of the Pharisees and hence the condemnation. I think when Jesus accepts the woman and forgives her, he also conveys through His actions, that the church or the so called believers is also called to accept and acknowledge people whose way of life and living may be totally different from us. It is in acceptance without condemnation that helps the worshipping community to make the gospel message relevant to a group who may not fit into the way we understand the church or the worshipping community. Let us also make an honest effort in our parish to see to it that we live a life that encompasses every one without any judgment or condemnation