All Choked Up!

A friend of mine (Ed Broussard) posted this on his blog. This is illustrative of institutionalism reaching the "puke" level. I think there's an ironic camel floating in the cup, but the gnat sure is gone.

Jesus report card

Since school has now started back…it got me thinking about new routines, tests, and report cards. It has been a long time since I received my last report card. If I remember right, I think I skipped my last final in college because the grade I had going into the final would allow me to graduate with a zero on the test; therefore, my last semester report card resembled my first semester report card. Neither one made my parents very proud. Apparently I chose to receive most of my college education as efficiently as possible (without the bother of going to class).

Maybe that is why when I ran across this (see photo) a few months ago, it really flew all over me? Does Jesus grade us with a report card? Why is preaching 20% and Bible 10% Do we get 20% for just being present with a 10% kicker for being on time? Isn’t 10% on the offering kind of a double bonus? Do we get to fill it in…or does HE fill it in? I grew up filling these out each Sunday morning before church. I didn’t care much for it then and I don’t think I am very comfortable at all with it now.

As a child I think it was the guilt that I experienced each Sunday in not living up to God’s requirements or…the church’s requirements? As an adult I am mystified how we as Christians take good disciplines and pervert them into legalities in order to measure ourselves.

Matthew 24
23"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel."