Christians

…the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

Acts 11:26b

It seems to me that everyone in the world under the age of thirty lives on Facebook.  That’s probably an exaggeration, but for twenty-somethings, it appears to be universally true.  Someone will post a status comment, someone else will chime in, and the horses are off and running.  My middle daughter appears to have endless friends who love to debate, so the threads on her wall can be really entertaining.

I stumbled onto one such yesterday, when my daughter commented about the individuals on Facebook who were linking the Rapture to the earthquake we experienced on the East Coast on Tuesday.  The discussion was pretty calm at first, until two young men joined the fray and blew up the conversation into a diatribe against Christianity.  “The Bible is plagiarized…” “Myths and fables…”  “Modern Christians are not followers of Jesus,” and on and on and on.  I finally succumbed to making a comment regarding throwing the baby out with the bath water, and immediately became the focal point of the attack.

After a particularly wordy comment, I wrote back one word “Semantics.”  The reply was swift:  “Oh now, isn’t that a classic Christian comment.”  No, it isn’t.  It is a classic Sherrie comment.  I am a person – Sherrie – who has a mind of her own that thinks and evaluates and decides.  I am not just a caricature in a painted box marked “Christian.”  I have a face, I have a character, I have a brain as well as a name. 

I can only assume that this young man has experienced something in his life – betrayal, lies, unkindness, cruelty – at the hands of someone(s) who designated themselves as a Christian.  It really does matter what we do and say when we clothe ourselves in the mantle of God’s name.  If you hold the title, you really need to live the life.  To do otherwise is to deny the very One by whom we are called.

Today's Prayer Needs:

Dulcie and family in the loss of Aaron

Judy for rapid recovery from surgery

Joel for success in freshman orientation

Laci - a book that is needed for grad school on Monday has not arrived.