Ooooh…………………
You’re playing hooky from God……
I’m gonna tell……………..
And you’re going to hell……….
I had received numerous comments in reference to my post No More Church Until Mid November that wondered what I was going to do with my time away from church. This particular Sunday….
I did my usual early Sunday morning ritual of getting groceries, gas, and drop the mail off at the post office. However, something within me told me to go out for an early Sunday Morning drive. Therefore, after putting up the groceries, I decided to get into the Grand Prix and go out for that Sunday Drive.
Get your motor runnin’
Head out on the highway
Lookin’ for adventure
And whatever comes our way
—————————————
Wind, In my hair
Shifting and drifting
Mechanical music
Adrenaline surge…Well-weathered leather,
Hot metal and oil,
The scented country air.
Sunlight on chrome,
The blur of the landscape,
Every nerve aware.
I constantly repeated in my mind these lyrics of these two different songs as I decided to go out on the Interstate. The thoughts of Steppenwolf’s Born To Be Wild and Rush’s Red Barchetta were so everpresent as I began to rev the engine, watch the needles of the guages move, and rise the acceleration to get to the Interstate.
On the Interstate, I began to approach the increased speed limit and as I approached the first curve, saw one of the new North Carolina Highway Patrol Chevrolet Impalas the State has been bragging about parked along the side of the road with the blue lights on a young redneck’s Mustang GT pulled over (something about Chevy power I love…..).
Freedom to enjoy the awesome wonder of God became further enjoyed. After passing the State Trooper and getting some ways down the Interstate, it was time to let the windows down, embrace wind, sunshine, and weather, and enjoy the speed and handling that the Grand Prix would bring. It was fun enjoying myself and observing a mental break as I weaved in and out of the lanes of traffic thinking about all the churches I passed on the way to the Interstate. I thought about the sermon turned political endorsement they would be receiving and also how they would think that all the people who were on the road instead of being in the pew would be viewed as ‘unsaved’ and ‘liberals’ in their eyes.
I began to further reflect that how in childhood, missing a Sunday was a real big no-no. What would happen next week would be the imposed and implied guilt and condemnation of being a slightly inferior Christian than the one who attended every week with their Sunday School perfect attendance pins shined on their lapel. Vacation… No, traveling on Sunday was breaking the Sabbath and you started summer vacation on Monday. Sickness…. No, sickness was no excuse and was seen as ‘having secret sin’ in one’s life and brought on more questions to imply more guilt and more condemnation.
Do not forget this weekend that in some churches, the turning back or forward of the clocks one hour is the great Satanic conspiracy to make people miss church. I remember how people who remembered to set the clock and arrived on time were told from the pulpit that they were more spiritual than those who missed church that sunday.
It was a morning to enjoy life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and the creation of God. Seeing the woods and the rock quarry blur to my sides, the openess of the road ahead, nothing could stop the relaxation I experienced. I did not have to tense up and prepare for the “Hi-How You Doing-Fine” routine. I was free for a couple of hours. I was free to reflect on the words I had read in both 1 Samuel and also in the .pdf downloadable book ‘Prophetic Ministry” by T. Austin Sparks that I have been studying.
Sometimes, you need a drive just to break the routine and monotomy. It makes me also desire a sports car for my next vehicle (hopefully another Grand Prix if the price and deal is right). But I reinforced the notion today that God really still loves me and no matter what happens, nothing can change that unconditional love even if the conditional acceptance of the people in the pews around you do change. Therefore, I was not playing hooky from God, I played hooky from the ritual today. I played hooky from the sermon turned campaign ad written by the Christian Coalition to loophole the 501c3 laws. I played hooky today from the notion that it takes a particular political candidate as president in order for God to be sovereign again (Guess what, he is still sovereign. He never lost it). I played hooky today from the concept that the church can die or survive on November 2, 2004. I played hooky from the notion that it is our “Christian duty” to vote (I thought voting was like your driver’s license, it’s a privilege that can be taken away at the discretion of the state where you live) when the Bible does not have a “Thou Shalt Vote” command within the scriptures. Finally, I played hooky from the hogwash that voting for one candidate will give you super secret special blessings in your heavenly crown while voting for another candidate will bring a ‘four year dark cloud and a curse’ (it’s always a four year curse according to the pop-culture prophet of politics isn’t it?) on you and this nation that we have to re-cycle ourselves into another ‘repentance’ regimen in order for God to ‘move’ again.
Tune in next week, same TtoT time, same TotT channel to see what happens next week on the final episode of Skip Church Sunday, Episode #2.
