The Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc governments adopted May 1 as a day to celebrate communism. They intended it to recognize laborers in their socialist system. They didn’t know their governments would collapse under the weight of that system in less than 75 years.

China still celebrates the communist holiday to foster good will. If it is to survive, the Chinese Communist Party has to pacify the other 93% of Chinese citizens who are not Party members. The great con is that the Party is China’s only hope for national survival and success.

A republic is not immune to a similar deception. The zeitgeist of recent years beckons you to trust politicians and government as your only hope. Why do people fall for that? In The Political Illusion (1967), Jacques Ellul writes about people acting with religious fervor for politics. They do not realize they’re trying to address their own, unmet needs. He writes, “In great, solemn, vibrant meetings in defense of the republic man can experience the communion that he absolutely needs but no longer finds in his family, his neighborhood, or his work – a common objective, some great popular drive in which he can participate, a camaraderie, a special vocabulary, an explanation of the world. Politics offers him these joys and symbols.” If politics is your source of identity and meaning, the bond that holds everything together, then you have traded your birthright for a bowl of lukewarm porridge. It’s what mass media serves for dinner.

Where can you find the communion you need, something that explains the world and gives you meaning? Answers that fail to address what is true and real about the human condition, what’s right and wrong, ultimate destiny – they’re porridge. It helps that Jesus gave us a simple outline for finding solutions. “Love the Lord your God” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:36-40). Paul repeated those ideas, declaring that his priority was “to know Him and the power of His resurrection” (Phil. 3:10) and that “love does no wrong to a neighbor” (Rom. 13:10).

Much of American politics today hurts and divides. It obscures the knowledge of the Creator and does wrong to people. Political posturing has infiltrated education, business, entertainment, and media. Yet we continue to endure the illusion that politics gives meaning and solves all problems. I borrow aviation’s emergency “Mayday” to appeal to heaven to deliver us from the crushing grip of that political illusion.

May Day is also a holiday about spring renewal and the release from winter’s grip. May it be a time to renew your love of God and neighbor. Invest less energy in politics and more in your neighbors’ well-being. Support your church’s efforts to engage the local and global community. Put your trust not in government, but Providence who holds the nations in His hands.

Wall Street markets were closed on Good Friday.  Their other annual religious holiday is Christmas Day.  Given the cultural trend toward a secular worldview, one wonders how long before they cancel or rename those holidays.

Just in my lifetime I’ve witnessed that trend.  Growing up in a small town in the South, nothing was open on Sunday except churches and restaurants.  I guess the city fathers didn’t think the Lord would mind if we ate out after church meeting.  Grandma was certain that fishing on Sunday was a sin, so we didn’t.  And we certainly had no little league baseball games or practice on the Lord’s Day.  Blue laws tended to keep things quiet one day a week so we could rest from our labors.  Oh, the nostalgia of a sunny, lazy, Sunday afternoon with nothing to do, no place to go.

Times change.  Gallop dropped a poll last week showing church membership among Americans fell below fifty percent for the first time, extending a 20-yr downward trend.    Maybe that’s why more businesses keep Sunday hours (but not a certain chicken chain based in Georgia).

Gallup attributes the church membership drop to (1) fewer Americans claim any religious preference and (2) fewer religious Americans prioritize church membership.  The latter could be due to participation in religious activities in homes.  Barna Group research shows an increasing number of Americans attend religious meetings in homes.  They estimate 12 million Americans attend a house church regularly.

In The House Church Book, Wolfgang Simpson writes, “The New Testament church was made up of small groups, typically between ten and fifteen people.  It grew by multiplying ‘sideways,’ dividing like organic cells.”  The Bible mentions the church meeting in the homes of Aquila and Prisca (1 Cor. 16:19), Philemon and Apphia (Phile. 1:1-2), and others.  Over time as the church gained influence it began to build sacred spaces, shifting away from home meetings.

While the culture shifts toward secularization and away from traditional values, many churches in America are strengthening their members with home fellowships.  The last 30 years have proved their popularity, sometimes despite zoning threats against Christian friends meeting to pray.  Some home gatherings are part of a traditional church, others function as churches. Maybe the church is experiencing its own cultural renewal, a return to our roots.

This time of year, Wall Street fears an old rumor that Good Friday trading led to the worst market collapse in history.  Not the best reason to continue that holiday.  Some churchgoers act on a rumor that attending church tips the celestial scales in their favor.  I can think of better reasons to gather with believers, like community and worship.  And what if that gathering is not in a religious building, but a house?  Is that too much of a culture shift for you?