Weird Christians | PEOPLE of the week

"Those people (Christians)—they’re sort of weird, ya’ know. They won’t hurt you, kill you, hate you, rob you, or sue you. They always dress modestly, always eat honorably, and always talk righteously. They're very selective with what they read, they won’t watch our favorite movies, they refuse to listen to our music, they don't care about our iPhone apps, and they don’t like our websites. For them, it is honorable to be a servant, to be last, not first; and they see the least among them as the greatest. These people are always so diligent at everything they do, sometimes you wish they would just—I don’t know—be a bit more lazy or something. They love their God, talking to him every day and reading His Book. The husbands among them love their wives, the wives respect their husbands, and the children obey their parents. They don’t drink, and they don’t smoke. They are so humble that it’s impossible to offend them, no matter how hard you try. They call themselves ‘children of the King,’ meeting together every single week to remember Jesus’ death 2,000 years ago, to sing old 1800s hymns, to listen to some man stand up and talk about their Bible, and—as they say—to ‘encourage one another.’ These people will die for you, but they will never kill for you; in fact, they even love their worst enemies. These people will joyfully accept the plundering of their property—you can break into their house and take all their goods, and they won’t even bother you. You can throw ‘em in prison and they’ll be singin’ at midnight. You can beat ‘em up and they’ll say ‘God bless you’ and walk the other way. These Christian-types always pay their taxes and honor their leaders. Still, they call themselves ‘pilgrims’ on some type of journey. These people will tell you that their treasures and their citizenship are in heaven, and they’re waiting for the return of their King. They’re not afraid of death, and they face the darkest trials of life with the greatest confidence and faith. They have a joy about them—I can’t quite describe it—and a peace within them—I can’t rightly understand it. I mean, they’re just plain weird. I want to know more."

Written by Mark Ashurst. A similar copy used for his sermon at Thomaston Road Church of Christ evening worship service on April 21, 2013. A similar copy published in the Volume X, Number 17 (April 28, 2013) edition of The Binding Cords of Thomaston Road Church of Christ. The selection here was directly edited and published by Mark Ashurst.