Secret Recipe

            I love to connect. I am the person that will wait in line inside for fast-food even if the drive-thru is empty. If I am afforded the choice at home of sitting around the TV at dinner or at the table, I always choose table. I love to connect with people.

            I am the guy that resisted texting because I like to have a conversation. I would rather talk than text but I will say that I can communicate with more people more efficiently with texting. I’m notorious for being in a meeting with lots of people and texting someone else with my phone under the table. But I’d rather talk.

            I am the guy that resisted Facebook. I use it more than anyone in my family now simply because it is a way to connect. But I miss face to face conversations instead of conversations on Facebook. I like conversations.

            Oh to hear a human voice and see a human face. To speak to real people. To receive a human greeting and not a “this call may be recorded for training purposes”. Is it just me, or is human contact going the way of the snow leopard? There was a time when every activity spurred a conversation. Service your car; greet the attendant. Deposit a check at the bank; chat with the teller about the weather. Buy a gift, and speak with the salesclerk. Not now. You can gas up with a credit card, make deposits online, and order a gift on the internet. You can cycle through an entire day without having to say “Hello”.

            Call us a fast society, an efficient society, but don’t call us a personal society. Our society is set up for isolation. We wear earbuds when we exercise. We communicate through text and email messages. We enter and exit our houses with gates and garage door openers. Our mantra: “I’ll leave you alone. You leave me alone.”

            And because of the way of society we don’t even know how to communicate face to face anymore. Now, some people are just mean. But a lot of people seem that way because they don’t know how to communicate. They don’t have to. Talk sternly to a teenager face to face and they may completely break down because they didn’t read it IN ALL CAPS (SEE I’M YELLING)!

            But consider God’s plan. The first generation of Christians were a mixed up box of contrasting cultures and backgrounds. At least fifteen different nationalities heard Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost. Jews stood next to Gentiles. Men and women. High society and not-so-high society. Can people of such varied backgrounds and cultures really get along with each other?

            We wonder the same thing today. Can Hispanics live at peace with Anglos? Can Democrats find common ground with Republicans? Can a Christian family carry on a civil friendship with the Muslim couple down the street? Can blacks and whites coexist without racial tension?

            The early church did – without the aid of sanctuaries, church buildings, clergy, or seminaries. They did so through the clearest of messages (the Cross) and simplest of tools (the Home).

            In churches we see the backs of people’s heads. Around a table you can see expressions on faces. In the auditorium one person speaks; around a table everyone has a voice. Church services are on the clock. Around the table there is time to talk. Hospitality opens the door to uncommon community.

            It’s no accident that hospitality and hospital come from the same Latin word, for they both lead to the same result: healing. When you open your life to someone, you are sending this message: “You matter to me and to God.” You may think you are saying, “Come to lunch for a visit.” But what your guest hears is, “I’m worth the effort”.

            And when you talk to someone, truly talk with them. You may find out they have a mom and dad just like you; or not. Find out they have struggles that may or may not be just like you. You find out that they are human. They hurt, they bleed, they get angry, they get lonely, get sad, and all the other things that make you, well, you.

            But this does require more than your thumbs or fingers to do. It requires your mouth but more importantly, your heart. Reach out to someone today. If you get rejected, move in instead of moving on. Find out if they’re just mean or if they just got some bad news to top off the bad news they got before the bad news. You had those days too.

And, and, and, if they really are just mean. Take that as a challenge to soften them up. The best ointment for those calluses is love mixed with patience. Apply generously until soft. And that, my friends, is a recipe for an incredible relationship.

Pastor Dad