A Christian community has a number of high expectations. Some are internal\u2013what we expect of ourselves; others are external\u2013what outsiders expect of us.<\/p>\n
A Christian community that is a school adds another layer of expectations. Some are reasonable: students would leave more educated than when they first showed up; others are unreasonable: students would become both saints and scholars. Or scholars and saints.<\/p>\n
Whichever order is fine.<\/p>\n
There are a whole bunch of humongous questions behind these statements: Who is God? Who are we? What is our purpose? What is the best way to achieve our purpose?
\nBut you\u2019re a student about to go on break, so you don\u2019t want to contemplate these massively deep implications of our identity as a community of Jesus followers and an educational institution.*<\/p>\n
So I\u2019m going to ask you this one question, and I hope you give it a second or two of thought:
\nIf we as a community follow a guy who took his stand on including outsiders, caring for people who were otherwise rejected precisely because they didn\u2019t act like saints, then who are the rejects in our midst and what are we doing to include them?<\/p>\n
Same question, shorter: Jesus loves \u201cbad\u201d folks; do we?<\/p>\n
Jesus told three parables in Luke 15, all making this one point: God has grace for the rejects. He hunts \u2019em down. He celebrates \u2019em. If you don\u2019t understand this Scripture, ask any senior. They all get it.<\/p>\n
Okay, I lied. Understated, anyway. I\u2019ve got a few more questions, like three. Four, max.
\nIn our community, how do we\u2013how do you and your friends\u2013decide if someone is \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad?\u201d What earns them the position of \u201creject?\u201d Are there categories of people who are just automatically \u201cout?\u201d<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t tell me \u201cNobody gets treated that way! No way, Mister!\u201d I walk around school most days. I hear the gossip. I see it.<\/p>\n
The Kingdom of God turns things upside down. The last are first. The least are greatest. Jesus tells us he comes not for the righteous, but sinners. The outsiders get welcome home parties while the insiders\u2026<\/p>\n
Jesus tells another parable, about two guys, one a big-time holy-looking guy who has it all together and the other a major reject. They\u2019re both at chapel. They both pray. The cool guy rejoices in his insider status and thanks God for getting to be who he is and not like that reject; the reject just asks God for mercy, nothing else.
\nJesus says God hears and accepts one guy but not the other.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s my last question: Which one are you?<\/p>\n
*If you do, let\u2019s have lunch. I\u2019ll buy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Christian community has a number of high expectations. Some are internal\u2013what we expect of ourselves; others are external\u2013what outsiders expect of us. A Christian community that is a school adds another layer of expectations. Some are reasonable: students would leave more educated than when they first showed up; others are unreasonable: students would become…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[292,219,215,216,291],"class_list":["post-3","post","type-post","status-archive","format-standard","hentry","category-misc","tag-christian","tag-ncai","tag-opinion","tag-reflection","tag-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\n