Standing in Line...

Working at a big church on Michigan Avenue always provides interesting food for thought.

Today, for example, I noticed that outside of my window, across the street, a long line began forming on the sidewalk around the middle of the morning. This part of Michigan Avenue, of course, is known as The Magnificent Mile (it's considerably less magnificent the further south you get) and is a pretty concentrated strip of high end and (slightly) more affordable retail shopping.

Given the nature of our neighborhood, things like this are not uncommon.

Still, I couldn't tell what the deal was. I began to wonder if I were to set up some of those temporary dividers myself if people would simply begin to line up without even knowing what the line was for.

As the line grew, a colleague of mine stopped by my office to talk about something unrelated, but happened to know when I asked that the line was for an H&M sale. Apparently, if you buy one t-shirt today you get a second one free. As I write this, people are literally lined up around the block and sitting on the sidewalk, waiting for free t-shirt.

Church bells are currently ringing to mark noon. I also hear a countdown that signals the opening of the doors at H&M. The line of people is now moving toward the fulfillment of their morning desire.

My colleague who informed me about the nature of this line remarked that a free t-shirt giveaway might make for a good evangelism strategy. I laughed a little and went back to work.

But then I stopped laughing. This isn't really all that funny.

Just yesterday I was re-meeting Mike Clawson at the up/rooted.city gathering. We chatted a little about each other's current work and plans. He mentioned how much he loves the architecture and space of our church. He remarked how he enjoys coming into our courtyard (though we have to be snooty Presbyterians and call it the "Garth") and feeling like he can escape the busyness of Michigan Avenue. Indeed, our space is literally something of a sanctuary in the midst of this wilderness of consumption.

Yet here on Michigan Avenue, in this beautiful old church with lots of resources, sometimes the lines get blurred.

We must be always vigilant about fitting in too well in our surroundings. We must be continually mindful of being in the world but not completely of it. We must remember our prophetic call to witness to something new and something different here on Michigan Avenue.

As I watched the line wrap around the block to H&M, I couldn't help but think about the times we have lines wrapping around the block as well: Christmas and Easter.

We don't have lines on the other Sundays. What do we offer on those days that we don't on the others? It's certainly not a free t-shirt.

But what is it? What do these lines say about who we are and what God is calling us to be?