By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

At one time or another, I’ve probably shown you a picture of a Canada goose.  We mistakenly call them Canadian geese most of the time.  Here is a picture I took of several of those birds – thirteen to be exact.  There were many more, but that’s all I could get a picture of at one time.  We were sight-seeing.  The geese were just minding their own business, doing things that geese normally do.  They ignored the people walking nearby.

These are geese, just being geese, walking like geese, “talking” like geese, and apparently enjoying their time together, ignoring the rest of the world around them.  So what makes these Canada geese any more special than any others I’ve ever seen?  Well, you see, these Canada geese weren’t down here in my yard in Alabama.  No.  My wife and I were in Victoria, British Columbia – in Canada.  We were in their territory.  This is the only time I’ve ever seen Canada geese actually in Canada.  Makes you wonder, doesn’t it, if they’re just known as geese when they’re at home, and only become Canada geese when they visit the U.S.  Ha.

I trust that at least the majority of you attended church is past Sunday.  Inside the church house were likely Christians just doing Christian stuff.  We sang our Christian songs, talked our Christian words, studied our Christian lessons, and genuinely acted like Christians — or did we?  When those visitors showed up, did you make your way to them to welcome them, to say hello, to show them a seat, to offer a word of encouragement, or to invite them to come again?  Or, did you just keep doing your Christian things while ignoring the ‘others’ who came by?

Christians are supposed to be Christians.  There is no doubt about that.  Those Canada geese are expected to act like Canada geese, without question.  But do we get so focused in our own little world, in doing all the ‘good’ things, that we miss out on those opportunities to share the blessings with others?  

We saw those geese, walked among them, and left – all while being ignored by them.  And I’m sure they went on with their geese things after we were gone.  The church will continue being the church long after the visitors are gone.  BUT, where do those visitors go?  Back home?  Never to return again?  All-the-while wondering why anyone would want to be in that church?

Even the little child’s game of “Duck, Duck, Goose” required us to get up and run around, having contact with someone else.  In order to represent Christ in the world, we Christians must do so outside of our comfort zone!  Think of it this way — What if the Canada geese stayed in Canada and never visited anywhere else?  We likely wouldn’t be so fascinated with them.  We would write them off as just any other old bird.

To BE a Christian outside of the church doors — that’s our mission this week.

Just a thought.