"Christians"

I know I probably shouldn't rant about this considering who might read it, but it's my blog. I can write what I want. Some things that have been really irritating me lately are the things I and the people around me do/say while covering ourselves with the title of "Christian". Let me preface my rant by saying that I am one of the most judgemental people I know. Having said that, I feel no guilt whatsoever in making comments about others who are like me.

This Sunday will be the last Sunday at our church for our music minister. He and his wife and daughter are great. When he came in view of a call to our church, he did not hide the fact that he would be incorporating praise music into the repertoire along with the tried and true hymns. The search committee knew this. This was NOT news. But, any idea what the first thing complained about was? Yup. You guessed it. Other people had other complaints and made sure that he heard them. Apparently, when he signed on, he didn't get the memo that he was the official complaint department. Who knew?

Did I agree with everything he did while at our church? NOOO! But, did I stop and think whether or not my opinion would hurt him and possibly others? I sure did. Did I consider the fact that my complaint would do more harm than good? Yup. Did everyone else do the same? That would be a big, resounding NOPE!!!! Several people who made their complaints have the subtlety of a bear with a pine cone up it's behind. And now we've lost a very good man. A man who has made several people (including myself) understand that God truly did mean "Make a joyful noise". He will be missed.

I said all of this to say that many of the Christians I know, including myself, are horrible to the very people to whom we should be gracious. I'm not sure if that's the right word or not, but there you go. A couple came forward in church this past Sunday to dedicate their granddaughter. They were dressed in jeans and T-shirts and didn't seem very clean and I judged them on sight. The second I did, I took a step back (no, not literally) and realized what I'd done. What right do I have to decide that what they look like is not good enough for the hallowed halls of MY church? How horribly conceited was I in that moment? I hate that I'm like that, but I also hate that many people in the church are the same. I'm glad that God caught me at that particular moment and stopped my horrible thoughts. What courage it had to have taken for that couple to have stepped up in front of our congregation to offer their grandchild in to the hands of the Lord. It's not as easy as one might think.

And the arrogance is incredible! It's stopped being about God and started being about "me". That "me" was figurative. I've never thought much of myself so I don't think arrogance fits in my case. If you're going to get up in front of a church and preach or sing you'd better be doing it for God's glory and not your own because people can tell the difference. If you go to my church and are reading this, watch Robin the next time she gets up to sing. Watch Lori, Cari, Lynn, Barbara. Yes, these women are all confident in themselves, but at the same time, you can tell that they mean what they're singing. I know that Lynn is my aunt and I may be a tad biased, but I can't help being blessed when she sings. There's no way around it. She lives what she preaches/sings. It's evident in her love for and generosity toward others. Arrogance would never be a word used to describe her. My point being....it is possible to be a Christian without judging others or putting ourselves above them. Sure, you can see the differences, but see them only as that. Not as shortcomings. I'll work on it if you will. No, I won't. I'll work on it anyway.