Recovering Age Racist

There is a running trail close to my house which is pretty nasty, in an altitude sort of way.  I only go to it if I am short on time and need to stay close to home.  If you go one way on the trail it is downhill and lazy, but the other way feels like it is straight up.  Most everyone goes the easy way.  I've never gone that way cause I'm a bit proud and a snob when it comes to stuff like that.  Their were a ton of people running on this particular day, mostly with dogs and baby strollers and stuff.  I caught myself saying "hi" to people who were younger than 40ish, but not anyone else.  It was subconscious, but I saw how consistent I was at doing it.

I've never considered myself a racist.  In fact, when it comes to skin color I'm not.  That is why I'm not sure "racist" is the best term to use.  Part of me just knew you would read this post if I put such a provocative word in the title.  Jesus showed me yesterday how partial I am however, and I think I might have acted like a racist, except instead of skin color being what drives my partiality, it is age.

I'm such a pragmatic guy that to me youth represents future potential, energy, flexibility, blank slates, hip, current, refreshing, and other such descriptors.  The older generation represents pretty much the opposite, and so I am so messed up I caught myself only saying "hi" to people I saw as a potential investment (gospel, discipleship, church, etc...).  Even where we live, we are the youngest couple by almost two decades out of 80 homes.  I hated this when we moved in.  I wanted the young messes up families, who grill outside, hunt, watch football, etc... God showed me how much this stinks to him.

In James 2, God speaks to us concerning our partiality.  He uses terms like "gold ring" and phrases like "sit at my feet".  We don't really talk like that anymore, but good Bible exegesis can lead us to exactly what he is talking about.  I have always understood it to not be partial, distinguishing favor based on wealth or skin color, but the truth is I have ignored it concerning age.  I have been an age racist...I think.  Instead of wealth being my rudder of favor, it has been years of age.  I haven't wanted to pour into people who won't return investment well.  Shame on me.

When Christ died on the cross, there was no partiality.  He didn't consider the return on investment we were going to give, which is a relief.  He didn't look forward into history (whatever that is supposed to mean) and decide who he was going to save based on what we could offer him.  He gave his perfect life for our tragic ones - and not just to the young.  The cross was impartial regarding those who would call Jesus Lord.  If we are to be Christlike, we are to be impartial with God's image on us, as his Son was.

The truth is that we didn't come here to plant a church, we came to tell a city about Jesus and his legacy.  Jesus will build his own church around that.  If that is true, I am a missionary everywhere, not just among the young and seemingly promising crowds.  I might have a grace there - but am in the reconciliation business everywhere.  Legacy Church, in order to be a church on mission, understands that we are on mission everywhere.  This means in our homes, work, and yes...running the hard way up a trail.

Europeans in Bad Sweaters

       I was watching an old movie the other night (I say old like it was black and white or something, but it was the original Die Hard) and noticed how stupid the bad guys looked.  They didn't look very bad.  I thought that there is no way they would pass as bad guys in today's movies.  They all had a lot of hair and it was flowing.  They all spoke in cool accents, but had these horrible sweaters on.  They were the sweaters with the vinyl (no, it's not leather) patches in some design on the front.  I thought, "man that dude looks like a retail clerk somewhere, but not a European assassin."  It's funny how dated things can get.  That was seriously cool back then, and I know I sat there when I saw it for the first time and thought, "man, where can I get one of those sweaters?"  Whether it's music, hair, or bad guys, whatever is cool or great today will be dated tomorrow.  God has been showing me recently how dated my techniques and strategies are.
       I have learned over time different ways to reach communities and impact people, and now that we are here planting a new work and need good direction, I know I'm not supposed to reach for those old ways.  I know my weakness is to embrace the vessels (methods) God poured his grace through in the past, rather than embrace the One who pours grace.  Being so pragmatic, I look at strategies and formulas and ideas that have worked in the past and I figure if I plug "A" into "B" and spend "C"...then we get a church.  I can feel God on some days guiding me away from books and strategies that have been very good and leading me to him with no strings attached.  I know mankind will do anything to not be vulnerable and out of the driver's seat, and so relying on God for a fresh direction is tough.  The truth is that sometimes yesterday's ideas are like the bad sweaters on the bad guys.  They don't translate the same.  They confuse and don't connect.  God isn't looking for us to be dependent on yesterday's answers as much as he is looking for us to search him new every day.  I think a hungry and searching Knoxville can't be guided to the cross well if I simply use what I have learned well in the past.  God is asking us to be faithful and current.  Maybe not current of trend or culture as much as current with communion with him.  How current is your communion with him?  Are you relying on what God showed you years ago because you haven't spent time embracing him today?  Are you relying on what God has touched in the past more than what he might show you differently today?  Are you plugging formulas and analyzing angles that "promise" results more than asking God what his will is for the moment?  If you say yes to any of these questions...you might, like me sometimes, be that dated villain with a bad sweater on.