My childhood was seasoned by some pretty rough adults who came in and out of my house, but one in particular stands out to me. Her name was Michelle. She was drop dead gorgeous. And if there's one thing that young impressionable boys remember, it's drop dead gorgeous older women who show up in your home all the time. The thing about Michelle was that she cussed in front of me constantly. She would say, "$#!+" and then say, "Oh, I'm sorry, Jeff." I never quite understood why she apologized, especially considering the fact that most of the people who came in and out of our home wove tapestries of obscenity as though they were trying to perfect an art form.
Maybe that explains why the occasional swear-bomb does not bother me like it does some people, especially when it comes to honest expressions in music. Something about the way rock and roll expresses itself reminds me of the Psalms. It's gritty, honest, straightforward. A song on my iPod came on the other day while I was running around Memorial Park. It has some language that people would apologize for in front of the preacher. I have been toying with using one of its lines as a facebook status for a while, but hesitate, because there are these... well... certain words. But something about Trent Reznor's lyrics sound almost like the book in the Bible called "First John."
"Less concerned, about fitting into the world, your world that is, cause it doesn't really matter, no it doesn't really matter..."
I get nervous about how "worldly" the church has become. We dress like the world, operate like the world, talk like the world, follow the world's rules. We go into debt trying to impress the neighbors. We have our own little cultures. But I'm no different. Problem is, I tried for years to fit into that world. But when we read books like First John, a tension arises somewhere between the Christian attempt to dwell in the word while dwelling in the world. I know the old hymn says, "This world is not my home," but for now, it is.
It is.
What would happen if the church in the west took on a new form of an old form? What if we desired mercy more than sacrifice? What if all the puritanical moral codes that define what Christians don't do came in second to a reputation for mercy? What if rough characters in our midst experienced a warm bath instead of a cold shower?
I'm not suggesting that you start cussing in front of the preacher. Unless you need to, that is. I would rather you cuss in front of the preacher while you are seeking the real Jesus than merely playing church on Sundays and equating that with discipleship. To all the Michelle's out there who follow the ways of the world, we as a church confess that we have done the exact same thing, just in a different way. We have been worldly, too. Seems to me that the church might be a more restorative place if we found ourselves in a position where we could welcome more Michelles. And the truth is, there is not really a good way to tie all this together. I wish there was.
"$#!+"
