I was talking with on of the polish guys I've been playing soccer with on Sunday nights named Ted. I ask him how he knew all the other polish guys... I thought they might be related or something but he said that they've all met here in KC. He said that whenever they are somewhere and hear someone speaking polish it kind of stands out, which I imagine it would, so they start talking. He said then they will invite the new Polish person to hang out with them sometime and "as long as they aren't jerks we become friends." He said then they become really close and begin to take care of each. He said, "if someone goes of vacation it is nice because then we will watch their house and take care of their dog or whatever they need." He told me how one of the guys got sick and couldn't work so the others went and did his job for him and brought them food and took care of everything he needed "just because he needed some help." He went on to tell me how that is what friendship is, "it takes time... it cost you something... but it is worth it... too many people don't realize that it is worth it."
I don't know what the church has to offer someone like Ted. Sure there is Jesus and salvation and spiritual peace and knowing that you have a purpose and that life has a meaning and all that stuff. I have all that stuff, but it just seems to me that if church was more like a pick-up game of Polish soccer, then it would really be good. Sure it would cost us something... we wouldn't be able to take a day off and we would have to spend our free time, our money on other people's problems... but I think it would be worth it. I think people would just keep showing up and want to play in our game too like they do on Sunday night at the park where we've been playing soccer.
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2 comments:
You're story sounds a bit like a Shane Claiborne story he'd put in his book...maybe that's just because I'm readindg it right now...not letting my books collect dust and thus be a worthy investment!
PS-You should start a soccer church because we won't discuss soccer in my sports church...Only sports where you use more than half your body!
can the church offer people like that something? that's a tough call! I guess that's one of the things Jesus was talking about when he talked about the rich person the camel and the eye of a needle.
people who have "peace" do not seem to need Jesus. which makes it hard to say that Jesus has something to offer that they need.
how do we introduce Jesus to people who have it all?
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