THOUGHTFUL RAMBLING No. 4
"Redefining The Me Generation"
I saw the light.
It happened yesterday morning while I was sitting in church. I was listening to the words of a soft spoken man with a single name and long dark hair. His message was all about love and peace and caring for those less fortunate. As I heard his words, his challenge to spread this message of love around the world, I had an epiphany. One of those convictions that hit you in the chest when you're least expecting it.
Yesterday morning, I sat transfixed in our 11:00 am service along with 700 other people, listening to an interview conducted by Bill Hybels, the senior pastor at Willow Creek Community Church outside of Chicago. Hybels was talking to Bono, the lead singer of U2. But Bono was talking to us.
In 2005, Bono was named TIME Magazine's Person Of The Year along with Bill and Melinda Gates for the work they've done to help the poor around the world. In yesterday's interview, he talked about Africa. He talked about AIDS. He talked about the meetings he's had with international leaders asking them for Third-World debt relief. He talked about the meetings he's had with church leaders around the world engaging them to take a stand on the hard issues. He talked about a number of things that struck a chord with the people in our sanctuary. Poverty. Drought. Genocide. Tribal War. All of them enormous. All of them heart-breaking.
He recalled Jesus's charge to his followers to love their neighbors as themselves. And the assurance that what we do for the least among us, we do for Him.
It was about this time that I looked down at the front of yesterday morning's program. It was a picture of the universe with a headline that said, "If not me, who? If not now, when?" Exactly right.
Bono is a Hall of Fame rock star worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He has the capital to make a global impact any time he feels like it. And he has. But here was my epiphany -- I don't have to be Bono to make an impact. And neither do any of the rest of us. I believe God calls us to do what we can do and that he does call us to help those less fortunate. I know the Jews believe that and while I'm not a student of the Koran, I bet that's somewhere in the Islamic teachings too.
What if instead of worrying about saving the world, we just started with a corner of it to tend to the best of our ability? It's so easy to get caught up in global warming, the killing in Darfur, the rebuilding of New Orleans. It can be overwhelming to the point that we're so paralyzed with the thought of having to do everything, that we end up doing nothing.
But what if we all just did a little? What if we redefined the "Me" generation to be an army of people who ask themselves, "If not me, who?" When someone joins the Methodist church, we're asked if we'll support it with our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service? What if we treated our immediate circle of the world with the same dedication?
After I got home and was thinking about Bono's sermon, I came across three of my favorite all-time quotes -- all from the same person.
"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."
"Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose."
"I am only one, still I am one. I cannot do everything, still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do."
These aren't the words of a president, a pastor, or anyone of power. They're Helen Keller's. Whatever you do to the least of these, you also do unto me.
My father used to tell my brother and I that "to whom much is given, much is expected." He made it clear to us that it was not enough just to live. Not enough to take a place in this world without doing something significant with the time we're blessed with here.
As I start 2007, I'm not making any resolutions. I'm not making a 20-point goals list. I'm not even making any promises.
What I am going to do is find my little corner of God's garden to tend. To make that which I've traded a day of my life for, worth the price I paid for it. If I can do that, what a year it will be.
Want to join me?
"Redefining The Me Generation"
I saw the light.
It happened yesterday morning while I was sitting in church. I was listening to the words of a soft spoken man with a single name and long dark hair. His message was all about love and peace and caring for those less fortunate. As I heard his words, his challenge to spread this message of love around the world, I had an epiphany. One of those convictions that hit you in the chest when you're least expecting it.
Yesterday morning, I sat transfixed in our 11:00 am service along with 700 other people, listening to an interview conducted by Bill Hybels, the senior pastor at Willow Creek Community Church outside of Chicago. Hybels was talking to Bono, the lead singer of U2. But Bono was talking to us.
In 2005, Bono was named TIME Magazine's Person Of The Year along with Bill and Melinda Gates for the work they've done to help the poor around the world. In yesterday's interview, he talked about Africa. He talked about AIDS. He talked about the meetings he's had with international leaders asking them for Third-World debt relief. He talked about the meetings he's had with church leaders around the world engaging them to take a stand on the hard issues. He talked about a number of things that struck a chord with the people in our sanctuary. Poverty. Drought. Genocide. Tribal War. All of them enormous. All of them heart-breaking.
He recalled Jesus's charge to his followers to love their neighbors as themselves. And the assurance that what we do for the least among us, we do for Him.
It was about this time that I looked down at the front of yesterday morning's program. It was a picture of the universe with a headline that said, "If not me, who? If not now, when?" Exactly right.
Bono is a Hall of Fame rock star worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He has the capital to make a global impact any time he feels like it. And he has. But here was my epiphany -- I don't have to be Bono to make an impact. And neither do any of the rest of us. I believe God calls us to do what we can do and that he does call us to help those less fortunate. I know the Jews believe that and while I'm not a student of the Koran, I bet that's somewhere in the Islamic teachings too.
What if instead of worrying about saving the world, we just started with a corner of it to tend to the best of our ability? It's so easy to get caught up in global warming, the killing in Darfur, the rebuilding of New Orleans. It can be overwhelming to the point that we're so paralyzed with the thought of having to do everything, that we end up doing nothing.
But what if we all just did a little? What if we redefined the "Me" generation to be an army of people who ask themselves, "If not me, who?" When someone joins the Methodist church, we're asked if we'll support it with our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service? What if we treated our immediate circle of the world with the same dedication?
After I got home and was thinking about Bono's sermon, I came across three of my favorite all-time quotes -- all from the same person.
"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."
"Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose."
"I am only one, still I am one. I cannot do everything, still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do."
These aren't the words of a president, a pastor, or anyone of power. They're Helen Keller's. Whatever you do to the least of these, you also do unto me.
My father used to tell my brother and I that "to whom much is given, much is expected." He made it clear to us that it was not enough just to live. Not enough to take a place in this world without doing something significant with the time we're blessed with here.
As I start 2007, I'm not making any resolutions. I'm not making a 20-point goals list. I'm not even making any promises.
What I am going to do is find my little corner of God's garden to tend. To make that which I've traded a day of my life for, worth the price I paid for it. If I can do that, what a year it will be.
Want to join me?
posted by Michael Tuggle at 9:55 PM
3 Comments:
Lately, it seems that every blog that has popped up on my screen has been screaming about theological shortcomings of the modern church. Thanks for the possitive, insightful comments about our responsibility to touch our world... the place where we work, live, and play. What an opportunity...
Another good one, Michael.
Came across your blog address in my favorites list this a.m. at work. This was a great one!
Stacy
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