In Grant Skeldon’s study of why millennials don’t attend church, 85% said that Christians and the Church are hypocritical. And they are right. Jesus had a serious problem with hypocrisy, and He threw that word around regularly. He even spoke of the Pharisees, telling His followers to “Do as they say, but not as they do.” (Mt. 23). Jesus didn’t mind having rules of behavior, but He got really upset when people who should know better forced others to follow those rules, but didn’t do it themselves. I say it all the time: we are all sinners/flawed/imperfect, but we are trying not to be hypocrites. We in the church talk a good game, but we often don’t live up to our own expectations.
What would happen if we in the church were better at walking the talk? If we spent a good portion of what we give to help people in need? I have mentioned occasionally how frustrating it is when people come to us for help after being told by another church that they can’t help, but we can. I understand that money is tight – we aren’t rich either – but I find it hard to believe that these other churches can’t buy 10 Wawa cards to help out the weary traveler who needs gas. That they can’t keep a little food on a shelf for the hungry neighbor who is having a hard time at the end of the month. The authors of “Hear Us Out” put it this way, “Imagine if emerging adults, who may be looking for a place to belong, discovered faith communities that advocate for: the voiceless poor and homeless, efforts toward reconciliation instead of retribution, the care of creation, and peacemaking efforts.” If we all took a little bite out of these problems, how different would our communities be?
None of us can fix all the problems of the world, but we can help the stranger at our gate. We can contribute to the common good instead of throwing our hands up in helpless surrender. And yes, sometimes we have to say no; our food pantry has to be closed sometimes because we run out. But we don’t give up, and we collect more so we can continue to do our small part. Saying we care but not showing it in our lives is hypocrisy, and too many of us talk a good game without actually playing in it. We can’t fix the whole world, but we can fix part of it. That is the call of God, to make the world better than we found it. Together, we are better.
Prayer – Holy God, give us the courage to go beyond ourselves to help people in need. Amen.
Today’s art is “Generosity” by Mugur Kreiss.