Holy Holy Holy

I was doing my devotions and came across this from "This Day: A Wesleyan Way of Prayer by Stooky." It struck me as I will be doing a sermon series on Why Church? I hope that the readers can get something from this as well.

"There is much misunderstanding about the meaning of the term 'holy.' Too many seem to think it means entirely good, without flaw. That may serve us well when speaking of a holy God. But a perfect church? Hardly. At root, holiness instead has to do with being set apart, indeed with being different. In the commandments, when God called for one day of the week to be holy, God meant that this day was to be set aside as different from the other six, distinctive in its practices. So also the Hebrew people were to exhibit holiness by refusing to bow down to idols worshiped by all of the neighboring nations. Similarly, the church is called to live out in the world ways of being and doing that are alternatives to accustomed standards and customs.

This means that, for from being embarrassed when its ideals are at odds with accepted ways, the Christian community should revel in what it distinctively has to offer to the world. When the lives of people are ruined by oppression and the church protests, we are exemplifying holiness. When greed goes unchecked, even applauded, and Christian people cry out 'Enough!' we should rejoice that we are fulfilling our calling to be different for the sake of what is right. How willing are we to be considered out of step with society in order to be holy? Who wants to be labeled 'odd' after all? But we are called to be a holy church, not a club that panders to whatever is currently popular."