This week, pastors from around the globe gathered at a 3-day conference called Together for the Gospel (T4G). It features some of the best preachers in the country, some of the most brilliant minds in ministry, and some of the best resources available for pastors today. This is a great thing, I think. I expect that the Word was proclaimed and that Christ was treasured. Indeed, He is worthy.
I have personally benefited from this conference and others like it. Yet, this 3-day event also got me thinking about the witness of Saint Lawrence and wondering—do I know how to answer the question: “What (or who) are the treasures of the Church?”
Here’s the story: Around 250 AD, after the arrest and imprisonment of the pope and many priests, the prefect of Rome summoned Lawrence, a deacon, and ordered him to turn over, in the stern judge's words, "the treasures of the Church." Lawrence, known for his composure and wit, asked for three days to gather together the wealth. Lawrence then worked swiftly to distribute as much Church property to the poor and needy as intended, so as to prevent its being seized by the prefect.
On the third day, at the head of a small delegation, he presented himself to the prefect, as promised. When ordered to give up the treasures of the Church, he opened the doors to the treasury. There, he presented before them a gathering of the poor, the crippled, the blind, the suffering, the impoverished, the disabled, the widowed, the orphaned, the sick, and the elderly. The magistrate, enraged by the commotion, demanded that Lawrence explain himself, to which the deacon replied: "Sir, I have provided you with precisely what you have asked for." And then motioning towards the people he had gathered, Lawrence exclaimed, "These are the treasures of the Church!"
One account records him then declaring to the prefect, "The Church is truly rich, far richer than your emperor." This act of defiance led directly to his martyrdom. Most accounts say that he was roasted over a spit. He is recorded as telling his torturers: “I am done on this side! Turn me over.”
You see, if asked to present treasures in 3 days, I may produce a conference and say: “Look here—these gifted church leaders are the real treasures! They are the best the Church has to offer! Their preaching and success is surpassed by none!” That may be why many waited in line this week to take pictures and get autographs—for a chance just to be in the presence of those whom some describe as “celebrity pastors” and “Christian rock stars.” {Think more on this phenomenon here, here, and here.}
Truly, the Gospel is the treasure of the Church. And as Paul writes, “we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). How then do we best display this treasure? Jesus teaches us this: “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:12-14). That’s how to display grace: Something we didn’t earn. Something we can’t attribute to the gifts and skills of people. Given to those who simply cannot repay.
Again, I honor those leaders who faithfully preach the Word. They should be valued, as any member of the Body is. And I’m not here to take away from the God-given influence and impact of those sharing at T4G. There is a time and place for wonderful conferences, to bless and encourage and refuel. In fact, they debated the concept of “celebrity” during a panel at T4G itself!
Really, it’s not what any conference is about; it’s what I am about that troubles me. If given 3 days to display the treasures of the Church, what would I do? Would I organize an event full of the best leaders, teachers, thinkers, and singers? Or would I open the treasury to display the least of these?
Do I mostly value those who I deem “high up” and what they bring to me? Or do I look “below” and see the hidden diamonds, to be displayed and treasured, as trophies of the gospel? Do I view the “weaker members” as indispensable and bestow up them greater esteem (1 Corinthians 12)? Have I invited the poor to the seat of honor, or have I dishonored them (James 2)? Do I prefer the “healthy and wealthy”? Who do I gather and what do we gather for? What and who do I treasure? What sort of life and ministry do I put on display, as evidence of His grace and goodness?
For us all, I wonder if, in exalting size and success, notoriety and polish, we have tainted our value set in the church. Somewhere along the way, have we forgotten, overlooked, and abandoned those whom God treasures—and solely gather with and for those whom we feel best meet our own perceived needs? What prize are we pursuing exactly? These are questions worth pondering, I think…
What do you think? Does the church today give a witness to culture—in valuing the poor, outcast, and downtrodden—in treasuring those who cannot repay, in witness of the Gospel? Or has our culture now entered the church—in creating a celebrity culture—where we gather to pay homage to the talented and successful—in hopes that our own status is increased?
