I was insulted! The Shakespeare book alone is worth more than that. They made the offer; I repacked my boxes and left with my books. I could get more than that by selling them for fifty cents apiece at my upcoming garage sale. I also hear there's a website called Booksintocash, but I haven't had a chance to check it out yet.
I can't close this so-far-uneventful blog entry without relating one of the most ignorant statements I've ever heard in my entire life. (And when I say "ignorant", I am being diplomatic because I really want to say "moronic".)
Just across the coffee shop from where I am sitting was a youngish couple (mid-20s I guess) who seemed to be at the getting acquainted stage of a romance. She had quite a loud mouth and seemed rather confident of the correctness of her opinions, especially when she got onto the topic of religion. Here's how the "conversation" went:
Loud woman: "Oh, I'm a believer, I just don't go to church."
Man: "Mmmhmm."
Loud woman: "I don't think church is necessary - organized religion and all that."
Man: "Mmm."
Loud woman: "Someone once pointed out a powerful fact that really struck me..."
Man: "Oh?"
[Here it comes!]
Loud woman: "Yeah, my friend pointed out that Jesus himself never did any of his teaching inside a church."
Man: "Hmmm." (Deep in thought, apparently.)
Loud woman: "He did his teaching outside ... and that's where I really feel most connected to God."
I really should have said something, shouldn't I have?
Should I have pointed out that technically her friend was absolutely correct since the church didn't officially form until after the death and resurrection of Christ and then the coming of the Holy Spirit? Or that the first church buildings didn't appear until about 300 years later?
Or should I have pointed out that her friend was essentially quite mistaken, since the church is simply a gathering of believers, and thus anytime and anywhere Jesus addressed the disciples, he was essentially speaking in the midst of the church?
More importantly, should I have informed her on how Jesus did in fact speak in the "church" of his day?
His first official sermon was in the synagogue of Nazareth where "He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4)
Rich Stearns, President of World Vision, calls this Jesus proclaiming his mission statement. It's the work He was sent to accomplish and it is the work He has called the church - His Body! - to join him in.
Sadly, it seems to me that the coffee shop woman is not really all that far removed from many churchgoers in her attitude toward religion. Consider this: her basic operating assumption is that faith is exclusively something between her and God and is much more about self-fulfillment than self-denial.
May God forgive the church when we neglect to gather together (Hebrews 10:25!) or ... just as bad ... are content to be pew potatoes.
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