Joni and I have been listening to my eclectic mix of music on the road this week. The lyrics from a song released 17 years ago sounds like it was written this week. The artist was John Mayer and he won a Grammy for Best Male Vocal Pop Performance with his song “Waiting on the World to Change”.
The song describes the apathy displayed by many of Mayer’s generation toward political and social disunity. The words are powerful and, to me, a bit depressing.
Me and all my friends
We’re all misunderstood
They say we stand for nothing and
There’s no way we ever could
Now we see everything that’s going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don’t have the means
To rise above and beat it
So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
That accurately describes our culture today. We are discouraged and even paralyzed by things out of our control. We feel like the world is hopeless.
Sadly, this song also describes a growing attitude in the church. Many find fault with the church and those who lead it. Some of it is justified but too often we decide that we don’t have the energy or heart to help change it. Mayer describes the next step.
It’s hard to beat the system
When we’re standing at a distance
So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
Rather than step in it is easy to step back. It is even easier to step away. Researcher George Barna notes that millions of self-described born-again Christians have left the church. Many are standing at a distance and waiting on the church to change.
A lot of disenfranchised Christians would tell you they support the church in theory. But they are sick of the church for…
___ Teaching that is too theological
___ Teaching that is not theological enough
___ Being too much about politics
___ Not aggressive enough politically
___ Being too legalistic
___ Being too freedom oriented
___ Playing music that is too modern
___ Playing music that is too old fashioned
You get the point. It is not a problem to find a problem. And we keep waiting. Waiting for the church to change.
But Jesus has a different plan that could help this dilemma and also the apathy that Mayer sings about. Jesus asks us to accomplish the goal with a radical plan to change the world.
He asks me to change. He asks you to change. Don’t focus on everyone else. Jesus tells us that we are accountable for ourselves. Period.
Do you think things would change if we could implement the instructions below written to the church at Colossae?
So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.
And later in the chapter Paul describes what that would look like…
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way. (Colossians 3-The Message)
Can you imagine what the church would look like if we lived those few verses alone? Accepting the love and light of God’s grace will change you. Then shining that light of grace will change others. If enough of us follow that plan the church will change. No waiting. And if enough churches change then the world will change.
So that is the plan. No waiting required. Get started on you today. I will work on me. We can stop waiting for the church to change and we can stop waiting for the world to change. We can start trusting God to change our hearts and be obedient to do our part for His plan. It is a start. I believe it is the only way the world can change.