Story:
I was at The Happy Gnome last night... which is one of my favorite places in Saint Paul to enjoy good company and great beer.
While I was enjoying the evening with a couple of my buds we noticed that there was a bit of commotion at the bar. Apparently the bartender had left a tap running and had to leave the bar for some unknown reason.
So there it sat... A glass beginning to overflow with an adequately delicious stout called Dragon's Milk. At first the dark liquid began spilling over the side of the glass and forming a pool at it's base. The tap was only slightly open which added a dramatic note to this entire experience. The pool began to swell as the light from the bar shimmered against the darkness of the beer and becamed framed by the deep burgundy wood of the bar. It was both beautiful and tragic as the darkness began to cascade from the bar and spilled onto the floor.
As this took place, a number of observers began lamenting the tragic waste and felt helpless in their ability to intervene. Patrons began squirming in their seats as agony and confusion began seeping in... until one man made the move. A savior began his bold journey to a place where he did not belong, but does respect greatly. As this man found himself behind the bar at The Happy Gnome he reached out and with one precisely coordinated gesture he caused the cascade of stout to recede. When my buddy made his way back to our booth, he was admired by all those who had witnessed the tragedy of the overflow and the heroic efforts of the one who would put an end to that tragedy.
The bartender, having seen the final moments of this heroic feat, even bought a drink for this man of greatness, and the night continued on as we sat together, enjoying good company and great beer.
Application:
Too often we remain merely the spectators... fully capable of making a difference but lacking the willingness to do so. Arguably, those who pride themselves with the greatest moral values should also be the ones leading the way in physical acts of compassion, equality, and redemption.. yet, too often this is not the case. We seem to either point out the problems and remain seated or ignore the problems because we are too focused on ourselves or those within our immediate circle. Sadly, the large amount of cultural segregation between christian and unchristian often implies that those within the immediate circle of christian influence are christian. We have become a very comfortable, incestuous, and self-centered product, for a movement based on a mandate to go and make disciples of all nations.
Here are some categories christians can fall into.
the ignorant christian: Unaware of their surroundings, the ignorant christian has not been exposed to the needs that exist in the world. They may be physically, mentally, or emotionally removed from such startling realities, but the fact remains they are ignorant to them. Their lack of knowledge is likely do to a poor job of shepherding by their spiritual leader... these people are not necessarily in fault, for they know no better.. but if they do become aware of their call to follow Christ.. they can no longer claim ignorance as their guard.
the complacent christian: Unlike the ignorant christian, the complacent christian has become aware of the responsibilities included in following Christ. They are now responsible to obey their mandate to administer love in tangible ways and to bring the truth of Christ to those who are still unchristian. It is also quite likely they have become aware of the injustice that exists in this world. The complacent christian chooses to not respond to these needs though. Possibly because they feel overwhelmed, possibly because it is not a part of the christian sub-culture, possibly because they are not being shepherded in it.. regardless... they are aware and uninvolved.. they are responsible to act, and lack of their lack of action could be classify them as guilty of refusing their call.
the responsible christian: There is a thin line between the complacent christian and the responsible christian. The responsible christian is the same as the complacent christian insofar as they are aware of their call to respond to the needs of the world and to be salt and light in the midst of a hurt and dying world. The difference is that the responsible christian will provide lip service to the needs in the world and become an advocate for action. They will speak of the importance of being outreached focused and even be able to tell you about the latest cool justice oriented ministry featured in Relevant Magazine. They have seen "Invisible Children" 8 times, and thought "Call and Response" was way cool and insightful. They will voice their frustrations with the church and it's lack of movement... of which they are equally responsible. You see, the responsible christian has taken on the guilt of the broken world and manifested it into a voice.. but nothing more than a voice. They feel responsible, and to speak up is how their guilt is relieved.. they will still not take any physical steps forward in actually pursuing a lifestyle of justice and compassion, as that would inconvenience them. They will claim that "outreach" is a specific gift... when in actuality it is the call of anyone who would claim to follow Christ. They are responsible not because of their actions but because they feel responsible to do something.. and while that does raise awareness.. it only provides lip service and never moves beyond that to action.
the Christ following christian: Like the responsible christian, the Christ following christian is aware of the call of Jesus and the darkness in the world. They are also advocates for taking action and are likely well connected with the same NGO's that the responsible christian is. Unlike the responsible christian, the majority of raised awarenss comes not from the Christ followers words, but from their lifetstyles and their actions. They are intentionally living out the call of Christ and have decided to follow the footsteps of the one the claim as Lord of their lives and the hope of their salvation. They worship God with their actions and because of this they are willing to sacrifice for the cause of Christ. "Outreach" might not even be a word in their vocabulary, for there is no clear distinction between when the are intentionally piercing into the heart of darkness and when they are living life. They will still share about the importance of intentionally loving the broken and lost and displaying compassion while pursuing justice, but it is a natural result of the life they have decided to live and the God they have decided to serve. The Christ following christian is arguably, but likely, the rarest of the four crude stereotypes, but these are the ones that are demonstrating a physical example of what it looks like to follow Christ.
There might be other categories, but I think this pretty well sums things up.
We need more people willing to take action, and most of us won't even work up the boldness to shut off a tap.
