Articles and thoughts by Steve Green.
Extraordinarily Ordinary
October 24th, 2007We are an ‘over the top’ society with an insatiable appetite for the new, improved and best next thing. Our satisfaction with the ordinary has forever been spoiled now that our hunger for the extraordinary has been awakened. During a visit to Circuit City, I stopped to watch a football game on HD plasma TV. When I came home I noticed that my old bubble-shaped TV looked dull and grainy. A few weeks ago a sponsor put us up in a luxury hotel with feather beds. Ah…what a good night’s rest. Now the La Quinta just doesn’t cut it and the Holiday Inn needs help. Even our palates murmur their displeasure with regular food. Surely you could tell where you’ve had the best steak, seafood, rolls, pasta or pies. Ok, I’ll admit it. The best honey bran muffins are at Mimi’s Café. No one else comes close.
I could go on about our houses and cars and vacations and entertainment. What, you say, a concert with no smoke and mirrors or dancing poodles? How boring is that? And what about our churches? How in the world can a small congregation keep up with the multimedia extravaganza put on by the church down the street? The pressure on pastors is just as great. On a side note, I wonder if the reason many pastors have gone to topical messages is to satisfy the expectations of people wanting something exciting and entertaining. I mean, which sermon title would draw you to listen, “Seven Sensational Secrets to Success”, or “Continuing Our Study in Romans Chapter 9”?
But this restlessness and dissatisfaction is a malady of the mind and a sickness of the soul.
At the end of his journey, the prodigal son realized that home was really what his heart had longed for all along. Somehow, home had become a dull prison with its daily, mundane routines. Somewhere out there was excitement. Yet in the end, after his long wandering journey, home looked like a shining castle on a hill, and the welcome embrace of very familiar loved ones had never felt so good.
G. K. Chesterton wrote, “The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children.”
May our hearts never lose the wonder, appreciation and fascination for the miraculous gift of the ordinary.
4 Comments »
Steve - Your comments are well-taken as there is no substitute for genuine and real Christianity. As a pastor on sabbatical, one of the questions I am wrestling with is how do we meet the needs of our very materialistic, entertainment-crazed American society, AND preach an uncompromising message? Said another way, how do we continue to win souls in the United States in our era despite all the societal changes? I am persuaded there is a right way. God bless your ministry.
Comment by Mike — December 30, 2007 @ 11:26 pm
Steve - I greatly appreciate your concerns on this issue. A.W.Tozer wrote, “It is scarcely possible in most places to get anyone to attend a meeting where the only attraction is God.” As a pastor, I appreciate newer music and I wish to be relevant and meet the needs of people, but there are non negotiables… one of which is the clear preaching and teaching of God’s Word. May we never forsake this to appease “itching ears.”
Comment by John — January 1, 2008 @ 7:39 pm
Very well put and never is this more evident than with our young people today….instant everything and ever more exciting things to do and see that they can’t fathom doing such humdrum things as reading, lying on a blanket watching the clouds float by, etc. That is just way too boring and time consuming. It is a sad commentary, but we always have hope in the Lord. Usually once people accept His gracious gift of salvation they learn to slow down at least a bit to enjoy the smaller things in life and appreciate the less thrilling aspects of it all. I am always grateful for your fresh insight you receive from our Lord to share with your fellow believers! God’s richest blessings continue on you my brother in Christ!
Melissa
Comment by Melissa — January 27, 2008 @ 8:23 pm
Hi Steve:
I recently took a driver’s education course instead of buying an expensive bike. It was a surreal experience because… out of the approx. 50 class members; 90% were teenagers! (I felt like I was back in high school). Well, by the end of the week almost all of them knew I was 29 years old and a college grad pursuing a music career (thanks to a few boisterous kids). Anyways, to make a long story short I used this experience to share an important lesson: “Life as a Christian does NOT have to be boring.” In fact, I’m grateful for the opportunity I was given to share my faith in a “not so conventional way” — ie. break dancing in a parking lot behind the school for the entire class!
So… what I’m trying to say is: Sometimes the most ordinary situations call for the most extraordinary action. Because of my zany antics, an avenue for spreading the Gospel has opened up. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
P.S. I believe the method or medium used for ministry should never super cede the motive and/or the message. Furthermore, God’s house is a house of worship not entertainment.
Therefore, entertainment for it’s own sake is futile and vain; but when it has a holy purpose for edification and enlightenment, it can be a powerful tool for winning souls. However that does not mean that everything is appropriate for use in the sanctuary (ie. break dancing does not belong in the pulpit - LOL). I think Ecclesiastes 3 says it best: “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven…”
Comment by Mark La Flamme — September 15, 2008 @ 3:08 am