The Greatest Show on Earth

There is a reason I am a children's minister.

It's not just because I love kids or just because I hold such high importance in the faith of children; while those things certainly are true, I like to think God called me into this position because the way I think is not often very far off from that of a child. I am excited and enthralled by small pleasures in life. I enjoy simplicity. I enjoy fun. Color. Sparkles. Disney World. Cupcakes. Swing sets. If it's made for children, I probably love it.

Knowing that, you can imagine my excitement as several friends and I ventured to the Ringling Bros. Circus last Friday! We were in the cheapest seats possible. Our shoes stuck to the floor as we climbed stairs covered in soda and who knows what else. From every angle we were offered the opportunity to buy glowing necklaces, rubber noses, clown hats and, of course, outrageously priced cotton candy and popcorn. I was in sensory overload as I took my seat, jittery with excitement, and prepared to watch "The Greatest Show on Earth!"

As the show began, I oohed and aahed at the tight rope walkers, lion tamers, trapeze artists and dancing elephants. Especially the elephants. I marveled at the glittery costumes, the amazing contortionists, and the comical clowns. I couldnt help giggling at the way the Ring Master announced everything, as if he only knew how to speak in elongated syllables. "Annnnnnnnnd nooooooooooooow, weeeeeeee wiiiiiiiiiiiillllllllllllll alllllllllllll taaaaaaalllllllllllllllllk liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike crraaaaaaaaaazzy peeeeeeeeeeeopllllllleeee."

However, about 3/4ths of the way through the show, I began to wonder... is this REALLY the greatest show on Earth? After all, several people fell during their stunts. The show was silly in parts. If you were close enough, the people probably seemed more cheesy than impressive. If you were over the age of 10, you probably thought (at least once): "That's not real." There was a lot of glitz and glam, but not as much substance.

Of course, I began to consider the circus in relation to the church and to my faith (big shock there!). I occasionally catch a certain preacher on TV who reminds me a lot of the circus. Tons of people, tons of things there for you to spend money on, tons of glitz and glam... but no substance. I am often shocked if this particular preacher even quotes the Bible. It's all a big show, and just like at the circus, we get sucked in to it.

On a smaller, more personal scale, we have a circus mentality in many of our local churches as well. Forget the mega church and the televangelist. Many, many folks attend church each week, dressed a particular way and expecting a particular "show." We want to hear a certain type of sermon, a certain type of music, a certain type of glitz and glamor. We want to eat yummy treats (or drink yummy coffee), and we want to sit and watch something we are paying to see (tithing does not equal entitlement, though sometimes we forget that too). We forget about what it means to be a part of a church-- worship, serving, giving, mission, outreach-- which are all, by the way, about focusing on God and others rather than ourselves.

It makes me wonder, am I... are we... looking for The Greatest Show on Earth each Sunday morning or are we searching for something with a little more substance? What is the difference between sitting in a church or sitting at a circus? Do we know? Do we care?