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When it comes to the mail, however, I have a pet peeve that goes beyond the usual irritation at wading through a daily load of circulars and catalogs. It really aggravates me when those computer-generated mailing lists can’t get our name right. For the record, we are known as the “College Avenue Church of Christ.” If I were an automobile salesman I would try really hard not to call you “Mildred” if your name is “Sally” or address you as “Mrs. Jones” if you are a man, but companies repeatedly send mislabeled mail soliciting our business. One of the most common problems is that some mailing labels accommodate a limited number of characters, so that we often received mail for the “College Avenue Church of Chris.” I have known several guys and gals named “Chris” and most of them were good folks, but I hope they won’t take it personally when I say I’m not willing to worship any of them. Only the name of Jesus is worthy of my adoration (Philippians 2:9-10, Acts 4:12) and all that we do should glorify his name (Colossians 3:17). The mailman also routinely brings us circulars addressed to the “College Ave Church,” as though the sender had been too lazy to finish the address. Again, I object: we are not some generic gathering of anonymous adherents. We wear the name of Christ because we belong to him (James 2:7). It is a humbling privilege and a serious responsibility to be known as “Christians” (Acts 11:26). When the first-century followers of Jesus were being persecuted for their faith the apostle Peter told them “if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name” (1Peter 4:16). Recently the Christian Music Club offered to send 12 free CDs or cassettes to “Mr. O. F. Christ.” I was momentarily tempted to send that one in, but then I decided “Mr. Christ” already has all the music he needs, what with the praise he receives from those worshippers who obey the command to “sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19-20). But perhaps the most mangled missive I have encountered was a postcard carrying the words “FREE SAMPLE” in big, bold letters. Intrigued, I examined it more closely to determine the lucky recipient. Imagine my surprise to find that this exciting offer was addressed to “Mrs. Lege A. Christ”! Confused as it is, that address contained at least a glimmer of truth: after all, the church is the “bride of Christ” (Ephesians 5:25-27). When Paul wrote to the believers at Rome, he told them “all the churches of Christ send greetings” (Romans 16:16). We do not understand that title as being a source of sectarian pride, but rather as a reminder that the church belongs to Jesus by right of purchase (Acts 20:28). To quote our mission statement, this congregation wants to truly be a church “of Christ”: that is, “our aim is to be like Jesus in all things. We recognize that if our congregation is to wear the name of Christ, we have the obligation as his disciples to reproduce the life of Christ.” The name on our sign out front is not a presumptuous boast but a personal challenge: are we truly living in such a way that outsiders identify us as belonging to Christ? It doesn’t really matter when computers are confused about our identity, but it does make a difference whether the world sees Christ in us.
- Dan Williams P.S. – By the way, remember that advertising card offering a “FREE SAMPLE”, the one addressed to “Mrs. Lege A. Christ”? I forgot to tell you the worst part: under the address it carried the subscription, “Attn: Dan Williams,” and the free offer was for a complimentary pair of pantyhose. Now that’s really a case of mistaken identity! |
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