'SPIRITUAL FRONTAGES'

“Housed in a converted church, this restaurant and bar has stained glass windows, timber paneled walls and wrought-iron grills. The chef serves up classic European comfort food with a twist, like mac and cheese with black truffles. Count your blessings!”

Last month, as I was reading through the ‘Appetite The Buzz’ column of Tiger Airways Magazine’s Jan-Feb 2010, I was thoroughly shocked to read the above lines about the ‘White Rabbit Restaurant’ in Singapore.

The White Rabbit Restaurant, for me, stands as a symbol of our own so called spirituality. That which appears to be a church is a bar and that, which is promised as a blessing, is merely an extensive and expensive dinner. Aren’t we Christians too, who often tend to wear spiritual facades, like this church converted White Rabbit Restaurant? I do feel what we often appear to be are not what we really are and what we often promise to give are never what we ought to. It is high time that we realize that our spirituality is jeopardized as we have become mere ‘spiritual frontages’. Therefore, as against what we hear time and again from the pulpit to go out into the ‘world’ preaching gospel and converting individuals and communities, I do feel, the religious concern of our time should be positioned more upon our own re-conversion.

What that makes a church is not its architecture or its ecclesial paraphernalia, rather the spiritual attitude of the members, the Body of Christ. Lent, the season we spend more and more time in the presence of God speaking to Him and listening to Him, is an appropriate time to recommit our lives towards this purpose. However, the issue here is neither the quantity nor quality of time that we spend in the presence of God. Rather, I feel it is our quality as people of God that matters.

It is important at this point to examine what is it that which stops us from living as real disciples of Christ instead of mere appearances of the same. In other words, why do we choose to be Christians with no genuineness? When I asked this question to myself, I heard an inner voice asking me a counter question, “What is it that which encourages you to be an appearance than a real Christian?” The only answer that I could find was ‘Judas’ Attitude’, the mind-set of Judas who appeared to be a disciple but who in reality was a betrayer. By ‘Judas’ Attitude’, what I mean is the driving force within us which urges us to protect our selfish interests even at the cost of crucifying God’s purpose for our lives.

Often, we are possessed with our selfish interests to earn, to grow and to prosper as individuals, as families and communities. We believe these are the things that make us accepted in the society. And hence, we invest our wealth, health and time more toward that course. At the same time, we also know that it is essential to be associated with the church life and present ourselves as holy and devoted to God, to be integrated and accepted as part of her. It is in this process of composing ourselves in a manner that we would be accepted and respected both in the world and church, that we become mere ‘Spiritual Frontages.’ To achieve this goal, we do not even bother to understand God’s purpose for our lives, same as Judas who lived and walked with Jesus for forty two months as part of his discipleship, never ever trying to recognize the purpose for his life.

Lest we not turn to Him, we would continue to be like the White Rabbit Restaurant that just APPEARS to be a church, but which in reality is a restaurant and bar that offers wrong promises of blessings.