A new town, a new church
Danny and his wife Mia had just moved from a large city to a small, affluent suburban town. Danny had just received a promotion to warehouse manager, but agreed to move to a new city and state in order to accept the job. Mia acquiesced to the idea of finishing her teaching degree at a new university. Both her and Danny were Christians and grew up together in the church.
They decided one Sunday to visit a well-known church in their new town. Everything was pristine. The building was well maintained. The parking lot had no oil stains. The carpets were spotless. The prayer request cards were stacked perfectly in a little pouch behind each chair. The worship team had their microphones and instruments perfectly polished. The people in the congregation were well dressed, with not one hair out of place. It was truly an establishment created for YouTube!
So Danny, what is it you do?
After the service, one of the elders introduced himself to the young couple. He asked them if they would like to meet the pastor (as if that would have been one of the greatest privileges of their lives). Danny agreed and they made their way to the front of the sanctuary. The pastor was sitting on the stage with an entourage of elders standing around him; not unlike a king’s court sprinkled with jesters seeking despotic approval.
When Danny and Mia were introduced, the first words out of the mouth of the pastor were, “So Danny, what is it you do for a living?” Not only was the question offensive to Danny, but it was downright tacky and elitist. Whenever someone (especially a pastor) asks such an insensitive question, it leaves the recipient uneasy and defensive. There is just no good answer short of “BRAIN SURGEON.”
The members were not much better at edification
After narrowly escaping the pastor’s full-blown interrogation-- complete with FBI investigation, fingerprints and a credit report-- the wary couple made their way back to the coffee and donuts. There they found a perfectly manicured, middle-aged woman scarfing down a custard filled eclair. After she introduced herself, she asked, “So what do you do, Danny?” He politely explained all over again about what now seemed in his mind a very meaningless job. Midway into his second sentence, the lady posed the same question to Mia. Danny’s young wife politely justified her college career and what her future plans were going forward. The older lady feigned excitement as she bragged about her own daughter finishing medical school. It was all they heard about for the next fifteen minutes.
Jesus thwarting the money-changers didn't do much good
Just as they were getting ready to make their escape, Danny’s new co-worker caught him. “Hey, man!” The husky warehouse worker was really the only friendly face he saw that day. “I heard the boss is already at your throat,” he continued in excitement. “Listen, in order to get on his good side you have to get those PDS reports in on time. He doesn’t really like it when the numbers aren’t in on his desk right when he wants em. The only way to get your bonus is to play the game, man. If you ask me he’s a real @#$%!. ..” And so the conversation continued ad nauseam.
Unfortunately, this scenario plays out every Sunday in most churches. Our preoccupation with money and status in the U.S. has crept into the lives of Christ followers; even into our “ holy sanctuaries!” In the next post, I will attempt to shine a light on how the Apostle Paul conversed with the early churches at Corinth, Galatia, Philippi, and Colosse; and how he used God’s words to build up and edify, instead of tear down and humiliate.
Danny and his wife Mia had just moved from a large city to a small, affluent suburban town. Danny had just received a promotion to warehouse manager, but agreed to move to a new city and state in order to accept the job. Mia acquiesced to the idea of finishing her teaching degree at a new university. Both her and Danny were Christians and grew up together in the church.
They decided one Sunday to visit a well-known church in their new town. Everything was pristine. The building was well maintained. The parking lot had no oil stains. The carpets were spotless. The prayer request cards were stacked perfectly in a little pouch behind each chair. The worship team had their microphones and instruments perfectly polished. The people in the congregation were well dressed, with not one hair out of place. It was truly an establishment created for YouTube!
So Danny, what is it you do?
After the service, one of the elders introduced himself to the young couple. He asked them if they would like to meet the pastor (as if that would have been one of the greatest privileges of their lives). Danny agreed and they made their way to the front of the sanctuary. The pastor was sitting on the stage with an entourage of elders standing around him; not unlike a king’s court sprinkled with jesters seeking despotic approval.
When Danny and Mia were introduced, the first words out of the mouth of the pastor were, “So Danny, what is it you do for a living?” Not only was the question offensive to Danny, but it was downright tacky and elitist. Whenever someone (especially a pastor) asks such an insensitive question, it leaves the recipient uneasy and defensive. There is just no good answer short of “BRAIN SURGEON.”
The members were not much better at edification
After narrowly escaping the pastor’s full-blown interrogation-- complete with FBI investigation, fingerprints and a credit report-- the wary couple made their way back to the coffee and donuts. There they found a perfectly manicured, middle-aged woman scarfing down a custard filled eclair. After she introduced herself, she asked, “So what do you do, Danny?” He politely explained all over again about what now seemed in his mind a very meaningless job. Midway into his second sentence, the lady posed the same question to Mia. Danny’s young wife politely justified her college career and what her future plans were going forward. The older lady feigned excitement as she bragged about her own daughter finishing medical school. It was all they heard about for the next fifteen minutes.
Jesus thwarting the money-changers didn't do much good
Just as they were getting ready to make their escape, Danny’s new co-worker caught him. “Hey, man!” The husky warehouse worker was really the only friendly face he saw that day. “I heard the boss is already at your throat,” he continued in excitement. “Listen, in order to get on his good side you have to get those PDS reports in on time. He doesn’t really like it when the numbers aren’t in on his desk right when he wants em. The only way to get your bonus is to play the game, man. If you ask me he’s a real @#$%!. ..” And so the conversation continued ad nauseam.
Unfortunately, this scenario plays out every Sunday in most churches. Our preoccupation with money and status in the U.S. has crept into the lives of Christ followers; even into our “ holy sanctuaries!” In the next post, I will attempt to shine a light on how the Apostle Paul conversed with the early churches at Corinth, Galatia, Philippi, and Colosse; and how he used God’s words to build up and edify, instead of tear down and humiliate.
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