Entitlement Mindset

On Mondays, I usually go to the Monday Night Football gathering organized by the men's ministry at PV. This season we've been going through a book called "The Externally Focused Church". I haven't read any of the book but I've heard several guest speakers talk through the major themes and it seems pretty good. This Monday was the most interesting segment to me. A guy named Anthony Wood was the speaker. He works at River City Ministries. From what I understand, he's kind of an inner city church guru. Interesting dude.

Occasionally, someone I come across will say something that sends a minor jolt past my ears when I first hear it. Then the comment will marinate for a while, usually a few hours, while I try to process the intended and any unintended meanings of whatever was said. If the comment holds up to this scrutiny, I will carry it around with me and dwell on it in my spare time. I'll ask some different people what they think about it. I'll ask the wife what she thinks. Then, I'll think about possible implications of the comment. By the end of this process, a simple one line comment has been turned into a possible thesis statement for a term paper I'll never write or it has been rejected and discarded.

Anthony said something that caused this intelectual chain reaction in me earlier this week. In talking about the way a church meets the needs of inner city folks or anyone for that matter, he said..."Dominant white culture has to earn the right to help the non-dominant disadvantaged culture. We don't have the right to preach to people until we earn it." He was talking about having to spend the time and energy necessary to assess the needs of the community to which we minister. This is an absolutely brilliant and personally indicting statement. When we serve people or minister to people, we approach them as if our noble intent to help them entitles us to their attention and at least a little gratitude. The bitter irony is that we unwittingly embody the same entitlement mindset that many of us harp against within our Christian Conservative upper middle class circles. When the folks we "serve" don't give us the gratitude we feel entitled to, we easily turn our backs on them or at least find a "more fulfilling service opportunity".

Our God doesn't seem to work this way. He repeatedly takes the time to earn the right to love us. That is an uncomfortable thing to say...It is not as if God has to earn anything. He kinda owns it already. He is entitled to our gratitude and he does not have to ask our permission for anything. He's God! But, over and over he seems to choose this path of taking the time to earn the right to help his people. When Moses stands with his wobbly knees before a non-oxidizing shrub, God explains his plan of sending Moses to free the Israelites. Moses holds out for a long term contract with guarenteed money and God patiently and lovingly earns the right to help Moses by showing him a series of signs and wonders. Jesus showed his willingness to earn the right to help folks when he took the time to engage the Samaritan woman. He talked with her and asked her questions and listened to her concerns and even a little finger pointing from her until she openned her life up to him. The Savior also earned the right to help Thomas with his doubting problem. Jesus gave him access to proof.

What does it say about God that he is willing to set aside the right to which he is entitled and humbly work for the chance to engage my soul? And what should my reaction be? Am I willing to make the choice to set aside whatever I feel I'm entitled to and actually get down to the difficult work of patiently and humbly earning the right to share the love of God with people?