This last year has been incredibly busy. I’ve had more flights to meetings and stayed in more hotels than probably almost any time in my recent memory. I must admit that the only perk for being on the road is that I now have “status” on one of the airlines and with one hotel chain.
It sounds more glamorous than it really is. But I must admit that with the airline, I don’t have to pay for my first checked piece of luggage. It also means that I can board the airplane with group four instead of waiting until group six or seven. The perk with this is, if I have a carry-on to go in the overhead bin, there is room when you’re with group four, and not always with group seven. And, occasionally, but not often, I can get upgraded to first class (which I must admit is great).
With the hotel chain, I’m not charged for things like internet use, and with some, I get free breakfast. And with one chain there is reserved parking right out front.
I must admit these are nice perks, but they certainly don’t define who I am or what I believe, or even how I act when I travel.
I’m reminded of an old TV advertisement that says, “With membership comes privilege.” While that may be true with credit cards, hotel chains, and airlines, it isn’t, nor should it be, true for those of us who belong to the church.
I wonder how many persons believe that in their local church, membership has privileges. How many of us believe that because I’m a member I can claim the same seat week after week – and heaven help the visitor who doesn’t know that’s my seat.
How many of us think that on Easter, Christmas Eve, and other crowded Sundays, the privilege of membership means I can spread my coat out and save seats.
Maybe some of us think that because of our long-term association with the church we attend, or because of how much money we give, our privilege is that we deserve to be on boards or make decisions.
Three examples of this come from personal experience as a pastor and as the DCM. It was late summer and we were working on the slate of officers and committees for the new year. We came to discussion about the Board of Trustees and I made a few suggestions of new persons who had the skill and desire to serve as trustee. The discussion (honestly, I can’t make this up) was, “they haven’t been here long enough to know how we do things.”
Another example was when I was working with a church that was considering Matthew 28. We got to the structure, and three different people said, “if we aren’t on the committees, what do we do if these new people do something we don’t like”? (Again, I can’t make this up).
Many years ago I was leading a Bible study and we were talking about the passage of, “in my Father’s house are many rooms.” As we talked about that a woman (who was very faithful to the church and a wonderful Christian) said that she really believed that the many rooms meant that the “nicer” rooms were reserved for long-time church members.
These three examples are from a mindset that says, “my church membership comes with privilege.”
Indeed being a Christian and belonging to a church does have its privileges. Our privileges include being the hands and feet of Christ. Our privilege is feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, reaching out to the least, the last, and the lost. Our privilege is that we get the awesome joy of opening our arms wide to the children of God – whoever they are, wherever they live, and no matter their age.
Our privilege has nothing to do with status, seating, or the expectation that the pastor will care for me first. However, it has everything to do with living out a life that follows Jesus without regard to race, color, creed, where people have come from – without regard to sexual orientation, size of the house, or the neighborhood someone lives in.
The privilege of our call and commitment is to walk in the footsteps and the shadow of one and to emulate the one who cared so deeply and so fully that He gave His life for all.
God’s Blessings. — Tom
