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A Lesson From Our Laundry
by Randy Todd on 09/27/2011 — 0 Comments
What can we learn about the Gospel of Christ and his kingdom from our laundry?
What can we learn about the Gospel of Christ and his kingdom from our laundry? Well, have you ever pulled a shirt or skirt (if you are a lady) or some other part of your wardrobe out of the dryer, only to discover, perhaps to your horror, that it has shrunk and it will no longer fit your body—unless "like a glove" is the way you like to wear your clothes? (Side note: This shrinking phenomenon does not explain why clothes that have sat untouched in your closet for nine months are suddenly too tight, short, or snug. Exploring that phenomenon is for another time.)
No doubt the all too prevalent tendency for the clothes we wear to encounter the shrink factor is the reason clothing stores offer preshrunk clothing. But I have been around long enough to know that preshrunkdoes not mean that it cannot or will not shrink some more. It simply means that the shrinking has already begun. Shrinkage has already been unleashed on this poor garment that now sits on the store shelf for your consideration.
Once you purchase the article of clothing and it begins its life cycle in earnest — you wear it, wash it, dry it, iron it (for most of us, this one is entirely optional), and wear it again—most shrinkage is gradual, almost to the point of being imperceptible. We probably won’t notice, until it is too late.
Even when we use the delicate cycle—putting the dryer on its lowest possible setting and patiently waiting for the clothes to dry — our favorite shirt, skirt, pants or blouse are still at risk. They just might shrink a little bit more.
God has entrusted the Gospel of Christ and his kingdom into the hands of his people, the church. Down through the ages there have been times when the Gospel of Christ and his kingdom has experienced the spin cycle of various movements within Christianity: The monastic movement, reformation movement, restoration movement, missionary movement, Pietism, Dispensationalism, Pentecostalism, Fundamentalism, the Jesus movement, Emerging Church movement, and so on. All of these movements were efforts to reclaim or promote an aspect of the Gospel of Christ and his kingdom that the advocates of the movement deemed to have been either abandoned or neglected by the church at large. The result is fairly predictable: A new subset of Christians rally around the particular emphases and understandings of the Gospel that are promoted by this new movement. Championing their cause and the priorities they deem as priority in God’s kingdom, whether intentionally or inadvertently they eventually shrink the Gospel.
Here’s something to seriously grapple with: Almost all of us, indeed if not all of us, have encountered the Gospel in some preshrunkversion minus the preshrunk label. The Gospel of Christ and his kingdom is an invitation to live in the glorious freedom of God’s kingdom. It is far more than a list of rules and commandments that are to be kept religiously. It is more than faith, repentance, confession and baptism. It is life in Christ, born of God, and led of his Spirit. It is a lifelong quest to know God better, to know how high, long, wide and deep is the love of God, to know his incomparably great power that is at work in us who believe, to not only know his will but also to fulfill it, in order to live a life that is worthy of the Lord in every way. It is loving others as Christ has loved us, and forgiving others just and God has forgiven us in and through Christ. It is God’s kingdom reign in absolutely every aspect of our lives: Professionally, relationally, sexually, financially, emotionally... Really!
Hear the ancient voice of an Apostle of the Gospel of Christ and his kingdom.
"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ" (Galatians 3:26-27). Let the image and emotion of the prodigal son coming home overwhelm your soul in this unimaginable thought! The Father has clothed you with a family robe that cries out love, forgiveness, acceptance, honor, privilege, and belonging. Christ, as our garment that was freely given to us by our Father, does not shrink. We do not wash this sacred garment; he has washed us and continually cleanses us of every sin. What is more, he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Instead, we must grow up into him in every way and resist any urge to shrink the Gospel and our vision of Christ and his kingdom so that these fit us and our comfortable lives. Christ died on a cross, not on a bed of ease. And his Gospel proclaims that we have been crucified with Christ and no longer live; he now lives within us. Don’t be afraid to keep in step with his Spirit even when it means that you will be out of step with your family, your friends, your culture, and your world. You are wearing the garment of royalty. You are clothed with Christ who is none other than the King of kings and Lord of lords.