Comedian Emo Philips tells a story that he says was once voted the 44th funniest joke in the world. He says it could have been voted number one, but…it just wasn’t that funny. The story goes like this: Philips says, “Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, “Don’t do it!” He said, “But nobody loves me.” I said, “God loves you. Do you believe in God?” He said, “Yes.” I said, “Are you a Christian or a Jew?” He said, “A Christian.” I said, “Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?” He said, “Protestant.” I said, “Me, too! What denomination?” He said, “Baptist.” I said, “Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?” He said, “Northern Baptist.” I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?” He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist.” I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?” He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region.” I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879 or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?” He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912.” I said, “Die, heretic!” And I pushed him off the bridge.”
We chuckle at that joke, but on a certain level, it hits a little too close to home. In fact, some days, it feels like we’re living in that joke…and it’s no laughing matter. Turn on the news, pick up the paper, listen in on the conversations going on around you, and you’ll see and hear just how divided the world is right now and how ready some people are to push other children of God off the proverbial bridge.
My prayer for the church…for this hurting world…is that we will not lose sight of the commandment Jesus gave to love one another as he has loved us. Christian or Jew or Muslim, Protestant or Catholic, Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist, immigrant, alien, or native, gay, straight, or trans, we are all one family…the human family. Will we always agree? Will we always get along? Will we never argue, or debate, or have different beliefs, ideas, and opinions? Well, does your family always get along? Do you always agree? Do you ever argue, or debate, or have different beliefs, ideas, and opinions? As part of a family, we won’t always get along, we won’t always agree with each other, sometimes we probably won’t even like each other all that much. The question is, in those moments when we disagree and don’t get along, will we still love and respect each other as children of God? That’s the question we have to answer…the choice we have to make. We each have to decide how we will respond. What will your choice be?