Have You Heard the One About…
There are two things I do not store well in my brain: card games and jokes. After all of these years, I can only readily call up the rules and strategy of two card games: Old Maid and Go Fish! The one joke I always have ready for a new audience is a religious joke about “perception” … I call it The Evangelist and the Drunk:
It seems many years ago in Australia, there was an evangelist who went throughout the country preaching about the evils of demon gin! In good visual style, he would take two glass beakers filled with clear liquid: one had water and one had gin. Into the first beaker of water he dropped a wiggly worm, who continued to squirm and swim happily around in the water. Next, he took the same worm and dropped it into the beaker of gin. Immediately the worm went limp; obviously dead, dead, dead. Then with great flourish, the evangelist peered out into his crowd and thundered, “Now, what does that tell you about the evils of demon gin?” From the far reaches of the crowd, a very inebriated man stumbled forward slurring, “If you drink gin, you won’t get worms!”
For me, this is a timeless joke that tells a parable about two perfectly logical ways of seeing the same situation, depending on your circumstance. Whether religion, politics, or family life, we all can relate. How often have we been absolutely certain about something that was so obvious, logical, rational and clear … to us? And yet, someone else, distanced by generation, circumstance, nationality, religion, or mind-altering substances, can be just as convinced of their stance.
Within The Church, and our particular church, this same radically different clash of viewpoints is a fact of life. Contradictory opinions regarding worship, music, who can take communion, what constitutes sin, who can and can’t get married … become the basis for heresy, excommunication, and schism. But for a few folks and churches, the tension of what has always been versus a new way of seeing and doing and being, can become the catalyst for the emerging life our churches so desperately seek.
Trinity is no different than many churches right now. We face increasing gas and energy prices, diminishing people power, competition with sports and recreation, and releasing our members to God’s eternal kingdom. As blips come up on the radar of planned or unexpected change, a natural response is panic. Can’t we just keep doing the things we’ve always done? We’re a great church, and we all get along. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
But it is broke! The Emperor’s clothes are getting thread-bare to the point of risqué. The old ways aren’t working to bring in new members, birth new congregations, fund our budgets, or attract younger generations with time to do the volunteer work of the church.
Those who keep looking back to yester-year as the panacea for success actually give flesh to the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for different results.
We no longer have the luxury of saying “we know what is best for The Church.”
We may think it is enough to preach eloquently, teach interesting classes, have friendly and dedicated people, and offer a beautiful church and grounds. But those youth and young adults, just dipping a toe into finding faith in Jesus, bring very different needs, expectations and gifts. Are we ready for them? Are we ready to do/see/understand things differently? What is our perspective? Is the worm in the beaker of clear liquid a good or a bad thing?
How much more of our cherished traditions, ideology, and ways of doing things can we give up before we cry uncle! What of all that we think is essential did Jesus actually mandate? John Wesley wisely said to someone who disagreed with him about some part of church decorum, If your heart is as my heart, give me your hand!
I certainly do not have the magical key that will instantly unlock this imbroglio door. I do not know what tomorrow’s landscape of church will look like. But my hunch is that God’s Spirit will bring the waves of change gently upon the shores of Trinity, lapping at our feet; so gentle in fact, we might miss them. We might chalk up such nippy waves as a nuisance or a passing phase or for some other church. Will we risk God’s renewal at Trinity by not moving out of our comfort zone?
Jesus said, Those who have ears, let them hear. And those who are willing, open your eyes and look at the beaker in new ways… to see with someone else’s eyes. And who knows, they may be Jesus’ eyes.
On the journey with you, Rev. Pamela
Rev. Pamela
(