Thursday’s Fare . . . December 31, 2003

The Miracle Diet

I hear it all too often. Mostly from friends who are parents of teenagers
or children soon to be:

"You know I just don't know what's wrong with so many kids today . . . They
don't seem to appreciate the more important things in life . . . They cling
to such shallow and worthless cultural idols . . .  Their priorities seem
so confused . . . We didn't bring them up like that . . . Where in the
world do they get it?"

Maybe the question should be, "where in the world do they not get it?"

Church. That's where.

Having worked within the Presbyterian Church world for a few years I have
made one not so difficult observation. As measured by consistent church
attendance, many parents today attach very little importance to the
development of their children's spiritual growth. And it's not just we
Presbyterians. By all indications every other denomination struggles to
engage it's younger families in the everyday life of the church.

Why is that?

In a world that assaults our children with every imaginable (and often
unimaginable) evil under the sun, coming at them in an almost endless
stream of digitized, multi-media propaganda (as well as through back alley
doors that only kids can contrive), it would seem that bringing a little
balance to what they have to ponder and incorporate into their lives might
be a good idea.

But generally speaking we have our excuses and we live by them:

"I only get so much time with our kids - two to three hours on a Sunday
morning is asking a lot."

"What does the church really have to offer me that's new - seems like I've
heard it all before . ."

"I like our church, but getting there every week just takes too much effort
. . ."

Any and all of the above might be true to some degree. Most of us don't get
as much free time with our families as we might like, and if our church
isn't feeding us in new and challenging ways we're likely to feel there is
little room left for spiritual growth. Getting a family up and moving and
off to anywhere can be a challenge, and if Mom or Dad don't perceive that
anything particularly valuable is coming of it, chances are that sooner or
later their commitment is going to wane.

So attending church regularly is really no different than any other
activity we choose - we measure our priorities based on effort and reward,
and if something isn't providing the necessary benefit, however we define
it, we weigh that priority accordingly. And in a world centered more and
more around experiences that provide instant and immediate
gratification  the "spiritual exercise" that is church seems to be less and
less worth the "workout."

But have you ever noticed how those of us who get in good physical shape
accomplish their goal? Rarely is it the "New Years commitment," or the "fad
diet" or the "revolutionary muscle toning machine" that allows them to do
so. Rather, it is almost invariably by a committed effort of eating a
little bit less of those things that "aren't so good for us" combined with
a consistent level of moderate exercise that allows one to eventually
achieve a sound and healthy body.

Maybe it's not much different for the soul.

Consider the story of the church goer who wrote a letter to the editor of
the newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every
Sunday:

"I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard
something like 1500 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a
single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are
wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."

This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" section.
(Much to the delight of the editor, I'm sure.) It went on for weeks until
someone wrote this clincher:

"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some
32,000 meals. But for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a
single one of those meals. But I do know this: They all nourished me and
gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me
these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone
to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today . . ."

So maybe there are Sunday's where we have indeed forgotten most of what
we've heard by the time we've reached the parking lot - and Sunday's where
the kid's complain that they just plain old "don't want to go . . ." But if
we're honest with ourselves and open to the great mystery of the Spirit's
movement in the world and in our lives, we know that we are indeed being
fed, and that at the end of the day, it is not just a priority, but the
only thing that really matters at all.

Perhaps the "miracle diet" is one, that much of the time, we don't even
know we're on.

May (most) every Sunday in 2004 lead you further into a life of substance
and joy!