From January, 2014
Our daughter Kate told a story at Christmas that, for Susan and me, summed up a lot that we've been thinking and talking about together.
A young friend told Kate she was struggling with a prominent thread among Christians in her social media connections: "I am a princess, because my Father is the king of kings." Of course there was merchandise involved because nothing says princess like a little pink t-shirt.
The young woman found all this off-putting, though she couldn't put a finger on just why. “Am I wrong?” she asked, “Do I just not get it?”
"Oh, sweetie, no," Kate told her, "you're not wrong. In fact, wouldn't it be more accurate to say, "I am a servant, because my father is a servant"?
There may not be a sizable market for that t-shirt. It's a lot to live up to. But wouldn't it be something if households and streets and schools and playgrounds and performance spaces and youth groups were teeming with little servants learning to understand and embrace their identity and calling to follow Jesus? Wouldn't that be something like Christmas?
A young friend told Kate she was struggling with a prominent thread among Christians in her social media connections: "I am a princess, because my Father is the king of kings." Of course there was merchandise involved because nothing says princess like a little pink t-shirt.
The young woman found all this off-putting, though she couldn't put a finger on just why. “Am I wrong?” she asked, “Do I just not get it?”
"Oh, sweetie, no," Kate told her, "you're not wrong. In fact, wouldn't it be more accurate to say, "I am a servant, because my father is a servant"?
There may not be a sizable market for that t-shirt. It's a lot to live up to. But wouldn't it be something if households and streets and schools and playgrounds and performance spaces and youth groups were teeming with little servants learning to understand and embrace their identity and calling to follow Jesus? Wouldn't that be something like Christmas?
