September 11, 2024
When is something special?
Many times over the years I’ve heard that special things are unusual, even rare. At other times I’ve heard that it’s not rarity that makes something special, it’s the way that I take care of it. And there are times I’ve heard that all members of a category are special.
Well. That’s confusing.
Nearly every church in the global Church asserts that Holy Communion is special, then they approach it very differently. For hundreds of years it was so special that most people never received the cup lest they spill it. I grew up in a church that held Communion just five times a year for a while, because it was too special to hold more often. At the same time, a church down the street held communion not just every Sunday but throughout the week. Why? Because it was special.
If non-Christians find this confusing, so do Christians.
When is a person special? Some decry the custom of participation awards, claiming that only the “winners” should be recognized. “If everyone is special,” they say, “then nobody is.”
Really?
I didn’t get participation awards as a child, but that was how things went then. I didn’t graduate from kindergarten or elementary school or junior high. Again, that’s how things went.
But I have no complaint with telling each and every human being, “You are special. You are valued. You are loved.” Because it’s true. God cares for each and every one of us, and for all the rest of Creation, too.
That’s pretty special.
In peace,
Pastor Eric
