Vance and I have been attending First Presbyterian Church of Orlando for going on two years now, and today left me feeling broken. I'm still figuring out why. It's good, though.
I must confess, we've both attended First Pres' with some reservation, and at times even anger, over some aspect of the teaching, the community, or the bureaucracy that comes with a mainline denominational church with a lot of money and a lot of history. For whatever reason we keep coming back, keep pushing to be a part of the sea change that's happening there.
David Swanson preached a good word on confession today, a discipline that seems conveniently forgotten in our American way of life. Somehow we've gotten to a place where it's too uncomfortable to admit that there's anything wrong with us, or too unthinkable to imagine worshipping at the sort of church that would imply the same.
Those perfect people who walk through the doors to the sanctuary each week -- the ones with the feathered hats and the thousand dollar pearls and the broaches that match the shoes -- they don't need Jesus if they don't need rescuing from something. And I know I'm the farthest thing from perfection. But I'm still prone to the same kind of pride that wants to portray the best side of myself to everyone I meet. But what if, as Dr. Swanson put it, if we start each conversation with anyone by thinking, "Hi, I'm Jamie, and I'm a sinner too," maybe we'd feel less inclined to portray that false image of perfection and more inclined toward mercy and grace (for ourselves and for others).
Powerful as the sermon was, I appreciated most the Biblical perspectives on parenting offered by Leigh Swanson during the Sunday School hour. I was worried, if I'm being honest, about what she would teach. I look at the kids running around the childcare center with barcodes stuck to their backsides, each in expensive, matching brand name outfits that will last all of a few months, and I think about how I wouldn't want to raise children up in this church. (That thought sounds rancid when I write it out, but with the subject of the week's sermon, I decided not to delete it.)
The big take-away from Leigh's teaching today was that, when we have kids, we ought to encourage, celebrate, and reward the development of their character, rather than some measure of performance. I'm paraphrasing here since I didn't have a notebook with me, but I loved when she said, "Instead of rewarding each 'A' on a report card, what if you said, 'I loved how your teacher commented here on how hard you worked.' Or what if instead of telling your kid how proud you are of all the home runs he scored in a little league game, what if instead you told him how incredible he is at encouraging his teammates?" Character over performance.
I like that.
