I have a bumper sticker on my car
that reads “Worship like catholics. Think
like hippies. Episcopalians.” A few weeks ago, while getting gas, a man
asked me if, after I worshiped like a catholic, I smoked marijuana – not exactly
in those words. To him, hippies do
drugs. This bumper sticker was the
result of a conversation my teenage son was having a with a friend he invited
to church. On the way to worship, he was
trying to explain to her what to expect and finally just said, “basically, we
worship like Catholics and think like hippies.”
To my son, hippies represent love and acceptance. To him, our church is love and
acceptance. And, we Episcopalians do
worship like Roman Catholics, but the beliefs differ.
We all thought his explanation of
the Episcopal Church was hilarious. When
I shared this story on the Episcopalians on Facebook page, it was liked about
1,000 times and I started receiving private messages urging me to put it on t-shirts
and bumper stickers. So, I did. (Link is below if you want some swag.)
I would bet you’ve seen “God is
love” on bumper stickers and the like but I am not sure that all people believe
that. There is much said and done in the
name of God that is not loving. And it
is more than a shame, it is tragic.
Whenever I hear Christians speaking with judgment and disdain in their
words, it breaks my heart. In my
ministry, I have the honor of hearing the stories of people seeking God. They are looking for the followers of Jesus: …everyone will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another. John
13:35 But so many more have just
stopped looking because they don’t see Christians who love.
Where are the Christians that we
can identify by the way they love? I
hear too many whose conversation reflect a belief that following Jesus is about
following rules. And if you don’t follow
the rules, you are a sinner and unworthy of belonging in Christian
community. Newsflash – we are all
sinners and we all fall short. Jesus says
over and over that we won’t be justified by following the law; in Galatians 5:4, Paul specifically says if you’re trying to do this, you have cut yourself off from
Christ and fallen away from grace. After
repeatedly being asked about the laws and rules, Jesus finally boiled it down
to love God and love each other. Mic
drop.
So, after a lifetime of trying to
approach things in a logical manner, I am finally coming to understand the
supreme importance of approaching all things with my heart. This is a struggle for me as I was rewarded in my business career by suppressing emotion and remaining analytical. And, as a person who struggles with
depression, I question my motives since my mind can play tricks on my moods. However, I am seeing that living with our
hearts is a matter of life and death.
People are suffering, physically
and spiritually, due to our intellectual, dispassionate, and many times,
judgmental mindsets. Where do your
actions and opinions come from?
Your head or your heart? And don’t
get me wrong, when it comes to solving problems, we need your brains. But when we define a problem, when we take a
stance, when we share our faith, is it Good News? Are your opinions rooted in compassion or doctrine? If the reason you talk, act, or vote a
certain way is because you want people to follow the rules, then think
again. I challenge you to examine your
heart and ask yourself if viewpoints rooted in right/wrong and black/white fulfill
our commandment to love each other.
Do the rules you want in place prevent
us from hurting each other or do they give us license to do so?
For Episco-Hippie bumper stickers, tshirts, and other merchandise, visit www.cafepress.com/evangelismninja
