Mumbling the Words

I don't know how many Trekkies there are out there---I am not really one, but I was an early teenager when the original Star Trek series was on. One particular episode (#52) named "The Omega Glory" was really fascinating to me. Captain Kirk et al, had been lured to a planet where Yangs had fought the Kohms for centuries. When Kirk is tested to complete the words to a document that the Yangs call "holy words" you will see here what happens. This clip is about 9 minutes long, but enjoy a blast from the past

What has happened is that in this parallel planet to earth (notice the American flag in the background), Yangs and Kohms (Yankees and Communists) too had a cold war, but it ended in bitter conflict that was still going on when Captain Kirk got there. The holy words, which the Yanks thought were only for chiefs, are really the Preamble to the Constitution. The Yanks repeated the words "E Plebneesta) which in fact were "We the People."

Yes, a real stretch I would say too. Captain Kirk passionately explains that these words were for every person, even Kohms.

It really makes me think about what happens sometimes in the church. Mumbling the words, but not really claiming the meaning. Repeating creeds, or Bible verses, or hymns of the faith that we know by heart, liking the sound of them, the familiarity of them, but not really allowing Christ to infiltrate our speaking of the words with a heart felt meaning.

Most often this is not the case for us. Most of the time, we do mean what we say and sing. Sometimes in fact we are hit smack dab in the fact by what we say or sing. At Annual Conference, Michael Slaughter, author and senior pastor at Ginghamsberg United Methodist Church, preached prophetically on the need for every church to get involved in its own community. He was urging us to look again at the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. What if God really means this? That unless we feed the hungry, comfort the sick, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, we will be a goat in the latter days of judgment? We know the scripture, but do we just think about this, or are we out there doing it? Do we mumble the words by heart, but do not heed the words with our hands and feet?

Methinks I have been mumbling too much, and me thinks it's time to live the truth instead .

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