There is a wide gulf between what is popular and what is right.
This isn’t to say that the popular decision is always the wrong one, but
doing a thing simply because it will be well received rarely is holiness. It
tends to be a chasing of the status quo. Like Social Media “influencers”
who chase popular trends in order to get views, it isn’t transformative.
Transformative things are never popular when first done, they only
become popular as ideas catch on. So while they may be good, they never
really make the world better.
In order to change the world, we are called to challenge it. Not to settle
for the good of today but to push for the great of tomorrow, all the while
trying to avoid the perfect, an unachievable trap that can often lead to
some churches not doing anything at all.
So like I always tell my confirmation classes, (which incidentally is starting
to meet this month along with the rest of Sunday School!) be willing to
make mistakes. Be willing to try new things, or to push radical ideas, even
if it doesn’t go along with the crowd in this particular moment.
God calls on us to be transformative, not popular. So be willing to make
bold decisions, and be willing to make mistakes while doing them. And
keep going to Sunday School, to help you learn the difference along the
way!
Pastor Dan
