where everybody knows your name...

I was reading this blog just a moment ago and it made me think of the older and ever so popular show Cheers! The above mentioned blogged raises the question, "If your church left the neighborhood, would anybody notice?" A question I think we should all ask of our faith communities.

The TV show Cheers! was part of my regular viewing habits through much of my life. It was (is?) one of those shows that most everyone connected with. The theme song pretty much summed up the heart of that connection, I think (this is from memory)...

"Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got. Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away? Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name. And they're always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see our troubles are all the same. You wanna be where everybody knows your name."

Okay, I had to check a lyrics site to clear up one part, but it's amazing that I could type all but two words without much effort! Not only do those words and that tune take me back... they stir something deep inside me. A longing that I think is in everyone... to be accepted, loved, and known.

The blog I referenced posed the question to several churches, large and small... and (I think you probably already figured it was where they were going) the feeling is that many churches would have to honestly answer, "No, the people around here probably wouldn't notice."

Sometimes I think those of us that frequent churches, in our own search for "Cheers! Gone Jesus," get too caught up in our own longings for that experience (when really, we already have it... at least much more than many who haven't heard good news in a long time...) that we don't seek to BE that experience for the people in close proximity to our places of worship, our homes, ourselves.

Hope the thoughts spur you to give someone a "Norm!" moment today!