Public Service Announcement

Please don't stare.

For me, church at its best is when it's double the trouble.
Two churches, two services, one weekend.

It's good to hear two views, two sermons, two lessons, have two worship times, during a 24-hour sabbath time (except when every church in America is doing an unintelligent Da Vinci Code series- but that's another topic for another day).

At its very best, these two churches would be different- preferably one inter-generational and the other a nice mix of scenesters/hipsters and indie kids (that way, you can wear whatever you want, but the worship team knows how to rock).
The second church, being made up of my people, my worship, my (deep) sermons, is, of course, a little more little-fish-friendly. But the first is of equal importance. That is wehere families can sit together, pray togetehr, worship together. That's where we find mentors, where our parents teach us how to love Jesus, and just generally interact with people oever the age of 25 (gasp!).

But this Sunday, I realized that it might be just as uncomfortable for the old people to go to church with us as it is for us to go with them. As my precious friends sat a row in front of me, and I watched a parent-aged woman begin to stare at them with the "may God save your soul" look, I saw the younger couple through her eyes: the tattoos, piercings, unbrushed hair, unshaven face, pink leggings and vans. To her, they didn't spell "I love Jesus," they didn't convey the talented, blossoming tatto artist and hard-working graphic design major that they are. That lady just saw two hoodlums. And because she saw two of those for thirty minutes, she missed one sermon.

As the intergenerational church continues to decline, following the trend to home churches, and just more stylized churches in general (blame the terrible postmoderns for that, not me!), I have one request when we do show up: Please Don't Stare. We wouldn't come to your church if we didn't want to hang out with you, to soak in some of your life experience and wisdom. And besides, you might be too busy staring to say hello, and meet the future of your world and your church.