Sometimes I get freaked out before I go, but I always pray...and wear a collar. Why?
Well, collars are meant to remind me that I am yoked to Christ. I wear them on these runs to remind myself that Jesus came into my neighborhood to get me. I don't wear them for anyone's benefit. They are not a fashion statement nor a badge of anything I have earned.
But I have to be honest when I do solo-runs I wear them to put the folks I'm ministering at ease and to let them see a ambassdor of Christ in their neighborhood getting dirty....and I also think that someone might think twice about jumping me.
How stupid is that? Did they think twice about anything when they killed Christ? Have the countless martyrs been spared anything because of their affiliation with Jesus? Did Jesus promise we would live like Holy Bubble Boys?
Of course not.
As we enter into the last week of anticipation of celebrating the event of God making a solo run (well, Trinitarian run I guess) into the world, let us not forget that He left His credentials at home (see Phillipians 2).
Are you going into these places? Christ did.
Posts
Hey Bryan—I will say this as a priest who wears a collar; and has done so around unsavory sorts of people. (Or, rather, those who find it hard to control their impulses.) I've not yet met anyone who thinks he'll gain any street cred for beating down a priest and I'm certain those who may otherwise elect to do such a thing if I weren't as identifiable, may rethink it just because of the collar. If I'm willing to have my driver's license picture taken in it (for less noble reasons I confess—"80 mph, officer? I had no idea!"), I'm surely going to wear it in a bad neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteBesides, the guys that gave Christ a beat down didn't know who he is! But I'm immediately identifiable as Christ's representative. I'm all for the side benefits of wearing the collar but what happens when I run into someone who has a real bone to pick with the Church? Ulp.
You see I'm being playful here, right?
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
I wish I could agree about the street cred Richard. I have been been attracted for the past few months to a run-down attraction near me called "Holy Land". The history is brilliant and not at all cheezy...a single lawyer years ago wanted to help the common man experience Christ. He built a walk through 1/4 size recreation of the areas where Jesus lived and ministered so they could "see Jesus". I'll blog on this later in the week.
ReplyDeleteAny way, the place is trashed but is still owned by a few nuns. I've walked through it and the graffiti written on the crosses, Christ's tomb, the temple and other things that are left make you sick. There is a link on the web to this site that appears to be legit until you click it and find a picture of two kids flipping you off standing in front of the "welcome to Jerusalem" sign.
I once worked two days with one roofing company when I was a new Christian. After work the second day the crew chief pulled into the liquor store and everyone bought what they wanted and proceeded to get wasted. The guy next to me began to brag about the time they broke into the nuns house and ripped them off...the funniest part to him being when they made sandwiches and ate all their sh*&t up!
...just saying Richard, I've been in some places lately...yes, they didn't know who Christ was, but how many priests have been slaughtered while wearing collars in our lifetime in Latin America alone?
a friend mentioned to me yesterday regarding this post: "you better be nice to me, my Father runs the world"...To true indeed, and right out of the warnings Jesus spoke in Matthew. Judgment will come on the day of the Lord...and Scripture does read some will be beaten and killed before then because of His name
ReplyDelete