He Hasn’t. We Can.

I thank Rev. Tim Pate, real life friend and colleague and drummer extraordinaire, for graciously letting me share this with you.

We were at a rehearsal of The Rivers of Life Clergy Band. (Booked us to come to your place?)

I was standing with my bass and Tim was sitting behind his drumset.

Two others were deeply engaged in a conversation about a chord and its structure.

Realizing both of us were on a break, Tim stood up at the same time I sat down.

We both stretched.

We rolled our shoulders and leaned from side to side.

“Some lean left, some lean right,” Tim said.

“Stand up, sit down, fight, fight, fight,” I replied, flashing back to Jr. High Pep Club. (Don’t ask.)

We started to laugh but before we could, we heard an “oooooooh” come from each other as we shook our heads.

“Was that a commentary on local churches?” one of us asked.

“Or is that where our entire denomination is?” the other one replied.

Tim and I’ll let you decide.

But it’s haunted me for several weeks now —

Some lean left

Some lean right

Stand up, sit down

Fight, fight, fight

— Too many people in too many churches excel at those last three words, as if Christ Jesus has commanded his church to Fight, fight, fight with one another.

He hasn’t.

By the grace of God, we can do better, Church.