Sloth

Photo by Kendall Cox

 What if the 1950s

weren't the church's heyday

but instead, were its days of sloth,

when there was no competition

and all we had to do

was open our doors and everyone

would come, because there was

nowhere else to go and nothing else

 to do on Sunday morning?

What if we need to develop

a completely different model

for being church in a world

long past the simplicity

of unquestioned exclusivity?

What if the torn fabric

of our culture has much less

to do with its failure

to rigidly adhere to our

own particular list

of biblically extracted behaviors,

and is much more about

our own lack of enthusiasm

for practicing grace together

in communities where all have both

a seat and voice at the table?

What if the church's purpose

is to equip members

to reflect hope, share love,

and nourish a hungry and thirsty world

with heaping servings

of dignity, humility, and respect?

What if we actually put

our time, energy, hearts, and money

into doing just that, instead

of trying to figure out how

to get back to the "good old days"?

© 2016 Todd Jenkins