Over the next two weeks the world will observe World Unidentified Flying Object Day (WUFOD). June 24 and July 2 are the two recognized dates for the observance. According to Wikipedia, “June 24 is the date that aviator Kenneth Arnold reported what is generally considered to be the first widely reported unidentified flying object sighting in the United States, while July 2 commemorates the supposed UFO crash in the 1947 Roswell UFO Incident.” While not as controversial as drums in Church worship, there is division among ufologist as to the preferred observance date. One thing all ufologists can agree upon is that there are aliens, that is other intelligent lifeforms not of planet earth.
Peter write, “Dear friends, I urge you as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits.” I know Paul was not talking about lifeforms from other planets, but he calls Christians to stand out as different by the way they act. Christians are to act differently because as the Apostle Paul writes, “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”[1] As born-again believers we are a “new creation” and thus should behave other worldly; our behavior should look different, sound different, and point people towards God.
What keeps us from standing out? Maybe because we have become complacent; after all I went to church last week and went on a mission trip last summer. In a 2016 study Thom Rainer revealed some surprising insights from “unchurched, non-Christians,” including the statements like “Christians are against more things than they are for and “I don’t see much difference in the way a Christian lives compared to others.”[2] Scripture says, Christians should be known for their “good deeds” and that these “good deeds” should point people towards God and ultimately Glorify God.
Aristides, the Athenian statesmen, once described the early Christians to Emperor Hadrian stating:
“They love one another. They never fail to help widows, they save orphans from those who would hurt them. If they have something they give freely to the man who has nothing; if they see a stranger, they take him home, and are happy, as though he were a real brother. They don’t consider themselves brothers in the usual sense, but brothers instead through the Spirit, in God.”
The early church stood out like green aliens because of their love for one another, for their genuine care for the orphans, and their love for one another. So, let us encourage one another to return to the roots of our faith and do good. Step out of your foxhole and from behind the keyboard and love your neighbor. Find ways to serve your community: volunteer w/big brothers/big sisters, love the homeless, encourage a veteran, commit to performing random acts of kindness. Don’t tweet it, hashtag it, or video it but do good for the glory of God.
[1] 2 Corinthians 5:17
[2] Thom Rainer. “What Non-Christians Really Thing About Christians” June 24, 2020. www.churchleaders.com.
The Chaplain's Anvil 