Separating ourselves as an individual from the group is something we have become too good at. It's something we learn as kids and perfect by the time we want to pass the blame.
Today, in a conversation that included sharks, babies, Heaven and unicorns, my four-year-old asks, 'Dad, what time are we picking up the kids?' Well, grab your Barbie purse and your ring of plastic keys, little girl, so we can go get them now.
I have also been in conversations with my oldest, now 9 going on 27, when she tells me, quite frankly, that sometimes children bother her. Oh, is that a fact? I guess I forgot that her childhood ended 5 minutes ago.
It becomes less amusing when experienced by adults who have this ironic ability to separate ourselves from the larger group we are clearly a part of. Nowhere does this happen more often than the church. And while I would love to have a long list to prove my point, I have but one. And while one may be the loneliest number that you ever saw, it is also a sufficient number in many categories; one God to serve, one Monster energy drink to make it through an afternoon, one wife to tell you how to do things right and one Teen Wolf. (Sorry, Jason Bateman, but it's true.)
And just what is my one point? Our use of the word they versus the word we. That's right, it all comes down to a word. See, children are obvious about their guilt. They are also obvious when it comes to the attempt to prove their innocence. Show me a group of children who all ate candy before supper and I will show you one child with chocolate on their face who says, 'I didn't do it.'
But as adults, we are a bit more savvy with our attempts to align ourselves with the esteemed and distance ourselves from shame. As a pastor, I can't tell you how many times I have heard some say, 'I am not sure what they are doing with children's ministries.' Or, 'Do you have any idea what they are thinking about for the Christmas services?'
First of all, they includes you. You and I are not only both people who follow Christ, but we belong to the same sub-genre of that species when we attend the same church. So we can no longer talk about what they are doing as if we are not complicit. What are you doing with the ministries of our church? What are you adding to what is done in the name of the Church?
Because when you add your voice to mine, all of the sudden the voices are combined to become our voice, not their voice. When that happens, we can no longer separate ourselves from what is happening. Unfortuately, though it is out of our control, this applies to the global church as well. Those crazy book-burners or those angry parade marchers or those weird street preachers are us.
They share our voice. So it seems to me that it is vitally important that we take a look at ourselves in the mirror everyday and ask how we are representing the body of Christ, all of us, together.
Today, in a conversation that included sharks, babies, Heaven and unicorns, my four-year-old asks, 'Dad, what time are we picking up the kids?' Well, grab your Barbie purse and your ring of plastic keys, little girl, so we can go get them now.
I have also been in conversations with my oldest, now 9 going on 27, when she tells me, quite frankly, that sometimes children bother her. Oh, is that a fact? I guess I forgot that her childhood ended 5 minutes ago.
It becomes less amusing when experienced by adults who have this ironic ability to separate ourselves from the larger group we are clearly a part of. Nowhere does this happen more often than the church. And while I would love to have a long list to prove my point, I have but one. And while one may be the loneliest number that you ever saw, it is also a sufficient number in many categories; one God to serve, one Monster energy drink to make it through an afternoon, one wife to tell you how to do things right and one Teen Wolf. (Sorry, Jason Bateman, but it's true.)
And just what is my one point? Our use of the word they versus the word we. That's right, it all comes down to a word. See, children are obvious about their guilt. They are also obvious when it comes to the attempt to prove their innocence. Show me a group of children who all ate candy before supper and I will show you one child with chocolate on their face who says, 'I didn't do it.'
But as adults, we are a bit more savvy with our attempts to align ourselves with the esteemed and distance ourselves from shame. As a pastor, I can't tell you how many times I have heard some say, 'I am not sure what they are doing with children's ministries.' Or, 'Do you have any idea what they are thinking about for the Christmas services?'
First of all, they includes you. You and I are not only both people who follow Christ, but we belong to the same sub-genre of that species when we attend the same church. So we can no longer talk about what they are doing as if we are not complicit. What are you doing with the ministries of our church? What are you adding to what is done in the name of the Church?
Because when you add your voice to mine, all of the sudden the voices are combined to become our voice, not their voice. When that happens, we can no longer separate ourselves from what is happening. Unfortuately, though it is out of our control, this applies to the global church as well. Those crazy book-burners or those angry parade marchers or those weird street preachers are us.
They share our voice. So it seems to me that it is vitally important that we take a look at ourselves in the mirror everyday and ask how we are representing the body of Christ, all of us, together.
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