Jonah

It's Sunday morning.  I don't go to church every Sunday morning. Sometimes I go see what a church (normally one I haven't been to before) is doing.  To try to meet the Church by introducing myself to people in the little churches, as it were.  What I see in all of that is that the local Christians don't know the Christians in all the various churches much.  And don't really, truly want to, either.  Certainly will make no effort to do so.  Not to the point of, say, inviting them to things or hanging out or eating with them.  If they do, it's very specific folks.  It's not a general thing.  For one thing, there is history.  There have been scandals and disputes.  There are differences of opinion.  And people are using those church walls to wall each other out.  Christians are divided and subdivided into all of these innumerable churches because they like it like that.

    Normally I am at at peace with not joining a church, with believing we shouldn't be divided up like this, but trying to connect to whomever I can.  But then, this morning I read my Sunday book of the bible, and I realized I have a very natural desire to want to discuss it with someone who's read it and has thoughts that aren't "canned" (aren't dusty and clearly handed to them by someone else.  Aren't stuff that only lives in Should Country.) 

   But I'm tempted to do something with pretty much any of the local churches I've been to: I imagine what would happen, were I to show up, endure the goings on, then try to waylay someone and talk about Jonah or Nahum or something, and what it makes me think and what it makes me wonder, and want to hear what the other person though.  And I know that I'd be really wasting my time to try to make a practice of that.  Wouldn't fly.  Would have more success going out to churches and finding someone to talk about the intricacies of Game of Thrones with.

   Because very few Christians read books written by Old Testament prophets in the course of a month.  You know, as books.  Not sources for out of context quoting.  And talking about the bible at church seems to be a bit of a faux pas.  Looks like trying too hard.  Showing off.  Gilding the lily.  Even just putting it on this blog sounds like bragging, rather than complaining.  Trust me.  It's complaining. 
   And those who do read Old Testament prophets seem, somehow, to be trying to get high on them rather than be challenged by them or pulled into an ancient and distant place, or think stuff they haven't been already thinking.

   So I don't shoot for that.