Posted in Connecting with God
The kids were watching VeggieTales this morning. The silly song segment was called Gated Community. Since the site that lists the lyrics is not available, I grabbed the cached version and put it here. It's here for this post's reference only. I don't want to turn this into a veggiesite.
On the surface, this just seems like a funny little song, and it is. However, it struck me as I was watching it that a lot of the churches I have been to have their own "gated communities." They don't have a fenced property, per se, but they do have a Welcome Center, where visitors (strangers) can visit (check in) and get a brochure and even a Visitor name badge (a pass). Everyone is neatly dressed, the cars are new and shiny. The teeth are white, hair is well combed, and practiced laughs and smiles abound. Like the Gated Community Chorus, we like things nice, neat, organized...no disorder. But... life. isn't. like. that.
We hesitate to be real with those people. We don't want to tell everyone that we botched a business deal or that our 4 year-old torched the carpet. Lost jobs, financial distress, and pimples can be used by God, but we don't allow people to see that. Why not? Because that might not bring people to Christ?
I'm not pretending to have the answers here. I do know at least one solution that has helped me and my family be real and human, rather than comfortably artificial. We host a home group for homeschooling families in our church. It's a prayer group and only a small percentage of the families that homeschool actually go to our home group. Yet, Karen and I are unabashedly real with these people because we believe that's how God wants it. If we want God to act in our lives through prayer, it would make sense to be specific about what we're dealing with.
Gated communities offer security, comfort and a well-ordered existence that is incongruous with reality. Sooner or later, the bubble pops and reality sets in. In those moments, we need God to be real to us and we need to be real with each other.
Gated Community
Narrator: There once was a boy
who lived in a house
and the house sat under a tree.
By the tree ran a fence
that stretched far and wide
‘Round the Gated Community.
L: Can I have my ball?
Can you get my ball?
I kicked it into the tree.
L: And my ball bounced up
And my ball dropped in
To the Gated Community.
GC Chorus: Ohhh, the Gated Community is where we like to be
Everything’s so lovely, Ohhh our hearts are filled with glee
And when you come to visit, you can stand outside and see
What a lovely bunch we are in our gated unity!
L: Umm, can I have my ball?
Can you get my ball?
I kicked it into the tree.
L: And my ball bounced up
And my ball dropped in
To the Gated Community.
GC Chorus: Ohhh, the Gated Community is where we like to be
Our clothes are never dirty, and the lawns are always green.
And when you come to visit, you can stand outside and see
What a tidy bunch we are in our gated unity!
The Gated Community we think you will agree
Is pleasantly devoid of unsightly stray debris.
Old Man: Free, free of debris.
GC Chorus: The Gated Community is where we love to be
Our smiles are wide when we’re inside, in comfy custody
And when you come to visit, you can stand outside and see
What a smily bunch we are in our gated unity!
L: Can I have my ball?
Can you get my ball?
I kicked it into the tree.
L: And my ball bounced up
And my ball dropped in…
GC Chorus: The Gated Community is where we like to be
Our lives have been made perfect by a hefty entrance fee.
And when you come to visit, you can stand outside and see
L: To the Gated Commu…
GC Chorus: What a lovely bunch we are!
L: To the Gated Commu…
GC Chorus: What a happy bunch we are!
L: To the Gated Community!
GC Chorus: In our Gated Unity!
Words by Mike Nawrocki
Music by Mike Nawrocki and Kurt Heinecke
© 2005 Bob & Larry Publishing
On the surface, this just seems like a funny little song, and it is. However, it struck me as I was watching it that a lot of the churches I have been to have their own "gated communities." They don't have a fenced property, per se, but they do have a Welcome Center, where visitors (strangers) can visit (check in) and get a brochure and even a Visitor name badge (a pass). Everyone is neatly dressed, the cars are new and shiny. The teeth are white, hair is well combed, and practiced laughs and smiles abound. Like the Gated Community Chorus, we like things nice, neat, organized...no disorder. But... life. isn't. like. that.
We hesitate to be real with those people. We don't want to tell everyone that we botched a business deal or that our 4 year-old torched the carpet. Lost jobs, financial distress, and pimples can be used by God, but we don't allow people to see that. Why not? Because that might not bring people to Christ?
I'm not pretending to have the answers here. I do know at least one solution that has helped me and my family be real and human, rather than comfortably artificial. We host a home group for homeschooling families in our church. It's a prayer group and only a small percentage of the families that homeschool actually go to our home group. Yet, Karen and I are unabashedly real with these people because we believe that's how God wants it. If we want God to act in our lives through prayer, it would make sense to be specific about what we're dealing with.
Gated communities offer security, comfort and a well-ordered existence that is incongruous with reality. Sooner or later, the bubble pops and reality sets in. In those moments, we need God to be real to us and we need to be real with each other.
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