CITIZENSHIP
Scripture: So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God.--Ephesians 2:19
I was at dinner recently with some friends and they had also invited several other people to join us for the evening. We were having a wonderful time and somehow the conversation got around to the topic of what we do for a living. I was somewhat reluctant to say mine - not because I am ashamed of what I do but as is often the case upon learning that I am a minister, the conversations shifts and people find themselves being modestly reserved.
One of the guests who had been particularly lively and entertaining saw this as an opportunity - unsolicited I might add - to confess his faults and to "bear it all" - far more than I cared to hear especially since this was our first meeting and we were in the company of mutual friends. And to be honest, I really didn’t feel like being a “minister” that evening.
It wasn’t very long before the conversation became a dialogue between just the two of us. He went on to tell me about his career at a local high school, the good work he does in his church, neighborhood, and alumni association. He declared himself a role model among the teenagers and coaches his sons little league team. “Only one thing Reverend, only one thing,” he said, “I’m a good man, I work hard, I bring my money home, I take care of my wife, there’s just one thing that gets in my way; one thing that I just can’t seem to control."
I imagined that in his own mind he was speaking the truth. I was aware of the potential devastation for him and others if this “one thing” were ever exposed and what a tragedy it would be given all the good going on. It seemed that the benefit was not worth the risk but that was my opinion.
It also occurred to me that this young man was nearer to the kingdom than he could possibly imagine. If only, if only, he could be free of that “one thing”.
One of the guests who had been particularly lively and entertaining saw this as an opportunity - unsolicited I might add - to confess his faults and to "bear it all" - far more than I cared to hear especially since this was our first meeting and we were in the company of mutual friends. And to be honest, I really didn’t feel like being a “minister” that evening.
It wasn’t very long before the conversation became a dialogue between just the two of us. He went on to tell me about his career at a local high school, the good work he does in his church, neighborhood, and alumni association. He declared himself a role model among the teenagers and coaches his sons little league team. “Only one thing Reverend, only one thing,” he said, “I’m a good man, I work hard, I bring my money home, I take care of my wife, there’s just one thing that gets in my way; one thing that I just can’t seem to control."
I imagined that in his own mind he was speaking the truth. I was aware of the potential devastation for him and others if this “one thing” were ever exposed and what a tragedy it would be given all the good going on. It seemed that the benefit was not worth the risk but that was my opinion.
It also occurred to me that this young man was nearer to the kingdom than he could possibly imagine. If only, if only, he could be free of that “one thing”.
Prayer: Almighty God, you have called us to be a new creation. Grant that we always remember our true home. Amen.
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