students of jesus

One of my on-line friends took his kids to Disneyworld. He’s seriously addicted to Twitter, so with the help of his iPhone the rest of us got to experience the day as well. He spent a ton of money and dove into the whole Mickey Mouse experience. His final tweet that day: “We have left the park—now what do we do with these mouse ears?”

This is a parable. What happens if we are so heavily invested in the church-world that we look ridiculous outside the church? It’s one thing to be a fan of Mickey Mouse inside an exclusive park where everyone is a fan. It’s quite another to represent him out in the real world. And I wonder, are plastic ears the best way to do so?

Another question: what if our devotion to Jesus finds expression only in the “safe” environment of the church building? Is it really devotion to Jesus? Jesus created his church, but he did not create houses of worship. There’s nothing wrong with church buildings. I love the building in which my community gathers to worship. But even more, I love the people who exit the building through the Servant’s Exit. They serve Jesus and their city by demonstrating the love of God in a thousand ways: mothers, teachers, accountants, shopkeepers, restauranteurs, neighbors, grandparents, coaches, mechanics, students, and all trades, their tackle and trim. The church is God’s dappled face turned toward his creation.

This should be no surprise, since God created the world. He thinks the world belongs to him. What’s more, he has given it to us. All the earth is our true venue. The magic kingdom awaits.