Channel Surfing

I remember ages ago when, to change the TV channel, you had to actually get up and go turn the knob. That’s right, get off the couch and walk all the way over to “the tube” to check the choices—all four of them: CBS, NBC, ABC, and Public Television. No FOX, CNN, ESPN; no plethora of cable selections. And no remote control for surfing through the options.

The remote is powerful: so many choices to make—and with such little effort. Enough options to keep one from ever really pay­ing attention to anything! With the greatest of ease we zoom past this game, that reality show, this ad, that sit-com, this info­mercial, that forecast, and on and on, world without end. Our culture expects to be able to choose between limitless options with minimal effort.

And that hurts churches. When you gather with your church family, please leave your remote control mindset at home! I realize this is more easily said than done. Our preference reflexes kick in a thousand times a day—and at lightning speed: Car ad? Switch it. Traffic report? Switch it. Country music? Switch it (sorry country fans). Empire carpet commercial? Switch it fast. And so, when it comes to church, we quickly switch off any awkward conversations or stern messages or non-preferred songs or less-than-fashionable neighbors in the pew, etc.

But God’s vision of church—of his people’s sweet shared life in worship, nurture and outreach—is profoundly insensitive to our preference reflexes and comfort zones. Church life is not intended to meet one’s every whim and wish; in fact, many of our wishes need to be dragged into the light and destroyed. Church is a fellowship of Christ-followers that loves you enough not to let you have your way, not to let you live in an endless, suffocating pursuit of your own likes and tastes.

Church is for the weak (2 Cor 12:7-10) and sick (Luke 5:31-32)—can you admit that that’s you? It’s about dying to sin together (Luke 9:23-24; Rom 8:13) and putting others first instead of me (Phil 2:3-4). And the truth is, following the self-forgetting Son of God is actually the path to true joy.

So brace yourself to say NO to those impatient channel-switching reflexes, and open your heart to life within the beautiful counter-culture of Jesus, the church!

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