I saw something the other day that caught my attention.

I see a lot of things during my daily commute through the soft underbelly of Los Angeles, but on my drive a few days ago, I found myself following an SUV through the transition road from the westbound I-10 onto the I-710 south.  In the center of the big rear picture window was one of those ubiquitous graphics of Calvin (late of "Calvin and Hobbes") urinating on something the driver doesn't like - in this particular case, the word "Chevy."  I'm a Ford man myself - I surely don't want any of you to think I'm singling this guy out because of his automotive preferences - but the truth is, I simply find these displays of Calvin and his bladder-control problem tasteless.  It is rude.  It is vulgar.  And it is something I've come to expect from the unwashed masses.

But what caught my attention was the juxtaposition of this graphic with another bumper sticker about a foot to the right on the same window.  There, emblazoned for all the world to see, was this message: "got jesus?"

Heartbreak.

What kind of person is it - and if you're reading this and you're the guy in the green SUV, do feel free to share, okay? - who can use his auto to proclaim to the world "Not only am I a Christian, but I am so excited about the Savior and my faith in Him that I put His name on public display as I motor around - and by the way, I'm also comfortable being vulgar and displaying coarse, worldly images"?  Does the incongruity not register with this guy?  Going on the assumption that he parks this thing in the parking lot of some church on Sunday mornings, what kind of comments does he get from his pastor and fellow parishoners?  Do his neighbors and co-workers look at him and admire how Jesus changed his life?

The lovely and talented Cecile and I were invited to visit a church not too long ago.  Situated on the edge of a residential neighborhood, and with insufficient parking to accommodate the entire flock, many of the worshipers resort to parking where they can, sometimes as far as three blocks away.  As we walked back to the car afterwards, Cecile and I were crossing a side-street arm-in-arm, when we heard a woman's voice shout out "Thanks for using the crosswalk.  You're the only ones from that church that do."  It took a couple of moments and some serious neck-craning to spy the woman behind her bushes, watering her lawn and her flowers.  

We smiled and thanked her back, and as we did, we both looked up and down the street; at various places within our line of sight, we saw between thirty and forty people walking through her neighborhood, away from the church, in clusters of two to five.  More than half were in the street at that very moment: crossing mid-block, crossing without regard to the cars they were forcing to stop, some even walking down the center of the street.  Many were walking out in the roadway along the parked cars, ignoring the perfectly good sidewalks the City had thought to construct for their convenience.

It caused us to wonder if widespread jaywalking were this woman's only greivance, or if there were other causes for this woman being so bitter toward this church that she had no qualms about making loud complaints; at least twenty other people heard her say this to us, and if she felt bad about offending them, it didn't show.  It seemed pretty clear she wanted them all to hear.

Saw a teenager at a church recently, wearing a tee-shirt that boldly said "I'm only pretending to listen to you."  If you're thinking my first thought was "how could someone feel comfortable wearing this to church?" then you're wrong.  Surprised?  No, my first thought was "how could someone who calls himself a Christian feel comfortable wearing a shirt with this message anywhere?"  Christians aren't supposed to be living double lives - religious in church and however they want out in the world.  That's superficial hypocrisy.  Obviously, this young man is living a consistent life: the antisocial, worldly, me-centered veneer he portrays in church doubtless accurately mirrors his values and attitudes out in the world.  No hypocrisy there.

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is,  that which is good and acceptable and perfect."  (Romans 12:1-2, NASB)

Instead, it is a sad observation that a large part of the church in our present age is very conformed to the world - carnal, selfish, thoughtless of others, unholy.  Were we not supposed to be holy, as our Father is holy?  Or when did grace become nothing more than an excuse to dispense with the calling to holy living and considerate behavior, and a license to indulge our base, fallen wants?  The Paul who wrote that we are no longer under law, but under grace, is that same Paul who wrote a great deal about what kind of lives we are to live.  Perhaps we're picking and choosing our faith buffet-style - we like the grace part, but not so much that holiness part.

Or maybe we're just too addicted to a faith that makes no demands of us.