Scripture~
Micah 6:6-8; Amos 5:14-24; Matthew 25:31-40

It seems daily now I’m learning something new about the Lord, the world, and my role in it. During my teen years, say after . . . well starting high school and up until graduation; I really had this sense that I wasn’t going to make it. That my life would be over shortly after graduation so I saw no real importance of making long term plans or long term impact. Oh I was or did my best to be a good friend, I listened, advised, etc; but I honestly didn’t see much beyond the summer of ’95.
Then, during that summer I got involved with someone who showed me a church and a closeness to God I had never known. Still I advised friends, but now from a different vantage point. I’d love to say it’s been a smooth ride since then but I’ve had my dark valleys; some so dark only a select few know what happened. There was a time in my life when I would . . . well, let me just get to the point.
I think we’ve (Christians) have done a good job of totally removing ourselves from society. This is perhaps one of the worst things we could have ever done; not to mention the most foolish. I remember talking with my wife about helping out some people we know, it’s really been taxing on us and she’s ready to break and to be truthful I was too . . . but in seeking God on His release from the situation all I got back was, “If you don’t, who will?” There are times I wish God would give easy answers.
But as always, He’s right (ok that statement is just funny because God can’t be wrong) because if we don’t, who will. I will borrow an argument from a friend of mine, why is it that when you want to find say good Rock music that there’s a Christian Rock music section and a non-Christian Rock Music section? Why is there a Christian video channel and a non-Christian video channel? We are not to be “of the world” but I think we’ve gone too far . . . to the point of not even being “in” the world. But if we’re not in the world then how can we effect it?
As followers of Christ we should be on the front-lines of compassion ministries such as taking care of the orphans, the home bound, the homeless; instead we’ve turned that over to the government. We should be involved in the arts; music, literature, film-making, painting. Instead we’ve created our own sub-culture where the ‘dirty’ sinners can’t touch us. We, and this one is a new one for me, should be the best gardeners on the planet. Meaning, we are charged with taking care of creation (Gen 1:26 & 2:15) instead we have turned it over to those who have made creation a god in it’s own right, “mother earth” indeed. The church left Hollywood around the late 50’s to early 60’s and immediately a decline in moral character began.
We’ve turned what God intended for relationship and communion into a daily Sunday right. We’ll profess with great piety that we don’t work on Sunday yet go out to eat after church (I’m not saying that eating on Sunday is wrong, but if you refuse to work on Sunday and then go out to eat then isn’t that kind of hypocritical). It’s not about the clothes we wear or the music we listen to or what we eat or drink . . . it’s (Micah 6:8 ) to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. What sort of people are we if we keep this gift to ourselves? Are we not denying the great commission and thus denying Christ when we sit in our ivory towers and talk about how the world “should” be? We should be out there, in the world, not “of” the world, but “in” it . . . tending God’s creation.