ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 17, 2026
Wednesday night, Donna and I saw Spamalot at the Hobby Center. We really enjoyed it, though we grew up in the days of Monty Python. As I was taking in the experience, especially what I can only describe as some of the more outlandish moments (and there were plenty), I had this strange thought: what would an alien race think of this performance, especially if it was one of the first things they observed of these newly documented creatures? I could be wrong, but I think they might post a sign near Jupiter that read: “Danger! Don’t get any closer. And avoid at all costs, especially that blue planet, third one from the sun.” There are so many things that are hard to understand unless you are an insider, some perspective that allows you to see things from the other side.
Now, please understand that I’m only making a loose, very loose comparison between Spamalot and following Jesus. But hang with me for a moment. Those who witnessed the first couple of generations of Jesus followers were often confused, even finding their actions ridiculous and reckless. Interestingly, there were fewer claims of absurdity when it came to the teachings of Christianity as compared to the actions of those who claimed to follow Jesus. For instance, Galen, the Emperor’s private physician in the second half of the second century, fled the city during what became known as the Antonine Plague (sometimes referred to as Galen’s Plague), as he had the resources to do. Some records seem to indicate that 2,000 people were dying each day in some of the bigger cities, and though historians and scientists are still unsure of what this plague might have been, it was passed because of close contact. Yet as people of means fled the cities, Galen made a note of the followers of Jesus moving against the crowds. They were entering the cities to care for the most vulnerable, often risking their lives. From the perspective of Galen and many others, these seemed strange, even ridiculous and reckless. They could not make sense of it, yet some Christian historians suggest that one of the greatest periods of growth in Christianity occurred over the next twenty years, and it was mostly among the poor and most vulnerable. They may not have initially understood the reason for such compassion and kindness, but they felt it. And it made all the difference.
Of course, once you delve deeper into Jesus’s unwavering love and compassion, regardless of the cost, you begin to perceive a transformative way of life. And once you grasp it, you become captivated by it. Through this experience, you acquire the key—a sacred perspective—that enables you to comprehend the ridiculous and reckless nature as God’s way of doing things. It is the power of self-giving love manifesting in a body and meeting the moment.
I hear the stories of some of the most faithful people throughout history, and I am left scratching my head, Lord God. What they did was clearly an act of faith; ways of bringing alive the Gospel for the sake of others, yet my uneasiness with the far-reaching nature of their actions might simply be my nervousness in being asked to do the same. Give me strength, Holy God, to be bold in my daily actions, even when they cause others to scratch their heads. Amen.
