Norm!
By Carolyn Hulliberger
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together….but let us encourage one another.”
Hebrews 10:24-25
Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows Your name.
You wanna go where people know, people are all the same,
You wanna go where everybody knows your name. (1)
Do you recognize the lyrics? If you’re over age 30, I bet you do…the theme song from Cheers. The show was about a group of lonely individuals that meet together at a bar and find acceptance in relationships that, outside of this common place, they otherwise would not have. Who can forget the former baseball star, the jaded waitress, the intellectually over-stimulated postal worker and the emotionally-stunted psychiatrist? Watching the show made us feel that if we walked into this bar, we could pull up a chair and be welcomed immediately into their lives; and that we wouldn’t be considered any more (or less) messed up than this bunch. Every week, despite their differences in background and outlook, this group would find common ground and build camaraderie.
Wouldn’t it be incredible if our churches felt a bit like Cheers? We all crave understanding and unconditional acceptance from other people. Imagine church as a place to foster relationships and cultivate friendships that are safe harbors from the storms of life. A place where you’re recognized and cared for, where someone sincerely asks about your day or week, and we feel safe enough to be honest with our struggles.
This kind of atmosphere takes work from each of us as individuals. We have to show up regularly to be recognized, or to be able to recognize someone else. We have to actually step out from our chair (or pew) and take note of another person. We need to be willing to invest a bit in time and conversation. But the reward is that over time we get the feeling that we can pull up a chair and be welcomed immediately…just like at Cheers.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Make a point of meeting someone new this week at church. Take a few moments to get to know her.
FURTHER READING:
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Along with caring for her husband, two children and the dog, Carolyn is an Office Representative for State Farm Insurance, serves in Student Ministries with junior high girls, and is the treasurer for Women’s Ministries.
(1) © 1982 Addax Music. Written by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo. Performed by Portnoy.
