I realize that the following could be viewed as very judgmental, but I have decided to post it anyways. I assure you it was not meant to come across as such. I am a screwed up sinner too; I realize that more and more each day. Take this with a grain of salt. I’m an idealist, and this is what’s on my heart.
I was going to write about how it has now been a year since I started this blog. I was going to write about how I’m amazed that it’s still going; how it doesn’t seem like that long. But instead I find myself stuck on the superficiality of Christians…again. I believe in Christ, but the Church, His oh so imperfect bride frustrates me often. We say ‘Let’s celebrate the reason for the season!’ then show a white baby wrapped in whiter lacy ‘swaddling clothes’ in a clean stable. In a perfect world. “Support a child and win a 25 dollar gift card”: the title of an e-mail in my inbox, an e-mail from a prominent Christian company. Really? What kind of a sick motivation is that?
Do we really know who it is we are celebrating? We sing about the one who is “lowly, meek, and mild.” Lowly, yes, Jesus had the gift of poverty…but meek? They say meek means power under control, but to be honest that’s not what I think of when I say that word. Mild? I think not. He touched everyone He came into contact with. He was extreme in almost every sense of the word. Do we know the Christ of Christmas? Really? He’s safe if we keep Him in the manger; we can play with that idea, and hope for peace on earth. Or we can read the gospels, and wrestle to understand the amazing God-man who defied expectations frequently.
Do we really want to be like that? Or do we just want to be safe little Christians in our sterile churches where it’s nice, and comfortable? Do we ignore Friday’s shooting, and refuse to let the scary things permeate our bubbles? Or do we weep with anguished hearts, and dare to ask hard questions? I’m not perfect. I don’t want to judge here. I like safety. I don’t like change. But at what price? What kind of a reputation do we have with the world when we try to put band-aid sized answers on impossible sized questions? Why are we so afraid of the words ‘I don’t know’? Where is the church of Christ- where are His disciples when the world needs them most?
God is not relegated to America. Our Lord is not the Lord of our country, but the Lord of the world. Why do we get stuck on stupid little things? What is wrong here? People are hurting, and we’re having cookie exchanges, and Christmas cantatas. We blame the world for distracting us with lights, and glitz, but in reality we’re also distracting ourselves. Those things aren’t wrong, but what about everything we say we stand for? Praise God for sending Jesus…So what? We’ll pay missionaries to spread His good news? What good is it if we don’t get the word out, love on people, and live (really live) like He did?
Journaling a Journey... 