do as i say and as i do

how many times have you heard it stated--if i heard it once growing up, i heard it many times--"do as i say, not as i do!" and as one who always said i would NEVER say these things when i grow up [you know we all think that we will never say the things of our parents], i have been proven wrong as i frequently find myself saying this very thing to my youth in church.

but i think we all agree that while we can say this all we want the truth of the matter is that people WILL and DO watch us and then act just as we act--regardless of what we say.

last week i was eating lunch at a restaurant. as i sat eating my lunch i notice a mother and her young daughter. as they sat and talked, the mother's phone rang--when she answered it, i looked at her daughter who was mesmerized by her and sat with her hand to HER ear, as if she too had a phone in her hand. as long as her mother was on the phone, she too was "on the phone."

and while this was amazing, i think the most amazing example of this kind of thing happened a few weeks ago at church. seeing that i am not leading services on sunday mornings, i took the opportunity to visit a friend's church--it was communion sunday. as we approached the altar, and kneeled--i could not help but notice the little guy next to me. he was about 4 years old. as we knelt with our hands awaiting the wonderful gift of the eucharist--this little guy looked to his right and then to his left [luckily he did not see me looking at him] and seeing all of us adults with our hands crossed and ready, he too put his hands on the altar railing, crossed anxiously waiting for his bread and cup.

the message for the day dealt with how jesus calls us to follow him and to do the things he did. our purpose is not to simply read, study, and discuss--it certainly isn't to sit around and and talk [or argue] about which faith group or denomination has it right, and who is wrong--as if there is a chosen group who make it while the others will be left out. rather, god asks of us to go out and feed the hungry, cloth the naked, take care of the sick. remember the fact that it was the little boy [ironic?] in the gospel story who shared his loaves and fish in the feeding of the 5000.

jesus never said, "do as i say not as i do"--rather, he says to us "follow me"--in other words, "do as i say AND as i do!"

may we all approach the altars in our lives with the excitement, enthusiasm, and innocence of a child--may we always look to our mentors in the faith and especially jesus' example as we as children of faith, seek to follow more faithfully and act more honestly. may we do as jesus says AND as he did.