food for thought from Bishop Coyner

My bishop, Mike Coyner, wrote the following reflection "Bibs or Aprons?" and I thought it was worth sharing the bulk of it:

I was given an apron this morning at church . . . I like my new apron, and I especially like the reminder that we don’t go to church just to be fed (that would mean we all wear bibs to church), but we go to church to learn how to feed and serve others (hence the apron). Certainly all of us have times when need to be fed, nourished, supported by prayer, and cared for. Church must be a place where all of us receive God’s grace when we need it. But if we stop there – only asking, “What’s in it for me?” – then we buy into the consumer mentality of our culture, and we make church into just another place where we shop for our favorite treatment and service. . . So, how about your church? Are you giving people bibs or aprons? And how about you? Are you looking for a spoon-fed faith and consumer religion which caters to your needs? Or are you seeking a life of love and service and sacrifice which might lead all the way to the Cross? Which will it be – bibs or aprons?

You can read the slightly longer piece here.