Is Your Community Spiritually Dead?

I spoke to my jet-lagged daughter, Rebekah, today about her church’s recent mission trip Uganda. They flew from Boston to international city “X” where the group had several hours before the final leg of their flight to Uganda. Most of the group had never been to “X” so they set out to explore the sights and have a nice meal. I asked her what she thought of the city and she said it felt spiritually dead. “Christianity is old people’s religion,” she said, as she summarized interaction with “X’ers” and specifically their waiter, who clearly was not interested in serving their culturally diverse group.

Now, I have some friends who live in “X” and they are wonderful people, so I certainly don’t want to characterize everyone who lives there as spiritually dead. But Rebekah’s perception of the city stuck with me, and caused me to wonder, “What would a tourist think of you and your community?” Would they come away thinking, “These folks are friendly and outgoing?” Would they describe your community as “spiritually alive?” Or, would they describe you and your community as spiritually dead?

As Christians we are called to be a light to the world. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” Matthew 5:16 (NASB).

Moreover, we should be joyful, reflecting the love of Christ to everyone—even our enemies. Love and joy are two fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). If we are children of God then love and joy should be evident in our lives, not just on Sunday as we enter church, but throughout the week.

Now this love and joy thing can be hard for me: especially with folks who I don’t consider to be close friends, much less those who I would place on my “enemies” list. It is especially hard when I am in a hurry, up against a deadline, or just plain pre-occupied with my own thoughts. My loving wife and daughter used to ask me if “I was having my period” (sorry ladies), because love and joy (and other fruits of the Spirit) were in short supply in my life right then. Ouch!

So here is my plan for tomorrow and the next week. I am going to try my best to have a smile on my face for everyone I meet. I will have a cheery “hello” for complete strangers I pass on the street. I am going to pretend that every interaction is with a tourist who is visiting for the first time, and I want them to go home and say what a wonderful place my community is. I want them to see the love of Christ reflected in my life. My plan for the week after is to do an even better job than the week before, because every week is a chance to glorify my Father who is in heaven!