My autumn Tour of Congregations started yesterday, as I’m preaching in a wide
variety of churches through November. Although it’s wonderful to connect with the same church every week and find community with just one congregation, it’s also fun connecting with very different people every Sunday – each with their own DNA.
Yesterday I was introduced to Choir Bling.
Remember Jennifer Anniston’s character in Office Space and her “pieces of flair”? The Choir of Sweet Church of the Flatlands has the tradition of wearing pieces of flair on their choir stoles: Pink Ribbon Pins, Harley Davidson Pins, I Heart Avon Pins, Pins of Dogs & Cats, assorted bejeweled crosses.
At first I thought this was some sort of tenure tracking thing: a pin for every year in the choir, for example. But then I saw that it was more about self-expression. Their grandchildren might have tattoos to express themselves; these ladies (and they all happened to be ladies) used pieces of flair to share their concerns and interests.
All of us express ourselves by the way we dress, paint our nails, wear our hair, pick out our socks. Our possessions say something about us too.
Although a tattoo can be a big commitment (see Jesus humongous face on that guy’s back to the right) and wearing pins might seem out there for choir members, being the church together is more about holding each other accountable to express ourselves and what we believe in the way we treat each other, spend our money, share our time. It’s easier to put a bumper sticker on the car than love somebody. It’s monumentally easier to ink or pin our devotions on our bodies than it is to love an enemy.
Imagine a church that expressed ourselves primarily by the way we served the neighborhood. The visible results would be amazing.
A Church for Starving Artists 
