GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT

In my last blog, I was bemoaning the way the church has substituted theatrics for spirituality.

On Easter Sunday morning, I didn't attend the breakfast or the children's egg hunt--I was still hurting over substituting those things for our S.S. class and hymn sing. My husband and I were one of the last to arrive for the worship service, and the greeter, who is also a board member, laughingly chided us for being late. That I just couldn't take, for we WEREN'T late! So I told him why we hadn't come for the early activities and laughingly added (I think the devil made me do it!), "I'm ashamed of every board member, including you and my husband, who didn't object to these plans!"

I'm afraid that didn't go over too well -- but then I've always been known to speak my mind! After church, this board member tried to explain his position. After all, we're the older generation. Yep, agreed. And young people worship God differently today than we're accustomed to. Yep, agreed. Etc. I don't have space to list all the other reasons he gave. Some ideas I agreed with; on other thoughts I challenged him. "Are your ideas working?" I queried. He had no answer!

"We must give them what they want," he concluded. Now wait a minute -- that concept didn't really hit me until later in the day. "Give them what they want." Where in Scripture did Jesus "give the people what they wanted?" Until He gave His life, that is. Where in the Bible did Paul and the Apostles "give them what they wanted?"

Reminds me of an illustration I heard years ago about the little child on the train whining and complaining at his nanny until his mother spoke sharply to her and said, "Give him what he wants so he'll shut up." The nanny did so, and the child let out a scream and began to cry uncontrollably. Know what he wanted? A honey bee that was climbing up and down the window! And when he got what he wanted, he also got stung!

Now that I have that off my chest, I'll try to get back to real devotionals tomorrow!

Hope you had a happy Easter. I'll admit, I didn't; I was too upset!!! But I survived!

Preacher's Kid