Back From The Holidays

I have returned from my holidays, and am genuinely glad to be so.

Don't misunderstand, I actually had a good time. My wife and I enjoyed a couple fo days doing little more than play with the kids, and they thanked us by sleeping in past 8 each morning. It was a good family time all around.

No, the reason I am glad to be back has eerythign to do with family. I love my family, but there are good reasons that we don't visit often or for long. Those reasons often surround church, and attitudes towards it.

These folks complain about church, chronically. They complain about the style of worship, the length of the sermon, the volume of the music , what people are wearing, and the list goes on. To make matters worse, they voice their criticisms loudly. What galls me is that they seem to think they have the right, by mere dint of age, to be so. They are not the least embarrassed by their own behaviour.

Myself, I am well past being embarrassed. I am outright offended. I know about 2/3 of the church I serve would never qualify as "christian" in their world. They don't dress right. They have tatoos and piercings. They like rock and roll worship songs.

I am also offended because I recognize that I don't qualify as Christian in their world either.

More to the point though that same 2/3 of my congregation would not have become Christian in thier world. Nor would I.

I praise God that there were and are people who are willing to let mercy triumph over judgment. I am His child because of them. I just wish there were more of them.