In our Bible Belt world we have an expectation that everyone belongs to a church. Our typical religious conversation is not "Do you believe in God?" Instead, we ask "What church do you go to?" An assumption is made that everyone attends church. Assumptions create odd behavior. I know individuals who profess membership in my church, yet in my nine years as rector I have never seen them in church. In our Bible Belt world, claiming to be Christian is easy. We place less value on things that come to us easily. Easy means cheap.
It's not that easy at Our Lady of Salvation Church. On November 1 blood smeared her walls and pieces of flesh littered her pews. It was the worst spectacle of violence in Iraq since the war began in 2003. Fifty eight died and seventy eight were wounded. It's not that easy in Egypt, where on New Years Day bombs loaded in a car exploded outside a church killing twenty one. These Christains paid a high cost for their belief.
John Row's Christianity was not easy. He was a federal judge in Arizona who stood in line last Saturday waiting to thank Congresswomen Gifford for her help when he was shot dead. Judge Row had just left the Eucharist, which he attended almost daily. While not specifically attacked as a church goer, I have no doubt that Row's Christian expressions of gratitude and the high value he placed on public service led him to that moment.
Jesus is very clear that being his follower is not easy and comes with great cost. All of which makes me wonder, what if claiming to be a Christian in our Bible Belt world wasn't cheap and easy and the claim came with a cost? If it cost more, it might mean more.
To some busy parents church membership is just another checkmark on a to-do list, but it is a seed that may sprout later. To others it is a place of engagement and challenge and growth. And still to others, it stands for peaceful, loving resistance to injustice in our community. I pray for the courage and health to press on regardless of the cost.
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