Gordon Gekko, Status & the Church.

What are your status symbols? As I was out walking my rottweiler this morning it occurred to me that there is a new status symbol in the surrounding neighborhoods. It is a new way of keeping up with the Jones. Are you ready? Security gates for the driveway. Everyone has them or is getting one and it appears that there are no limits as to how short one’s driveway can be to install a security gate. I noticed one neighbor’s gate is less than twenty-five feet from his house. There must be something about the security gate that makes one feel important for they do not appear to do much to make one safe. I wonder if we could call them status-gates?

I may have the longest driveway in the area and I should have a status-gate. My wife would flip-out if I attempted to have a status-gate installed. The reality is we don’t own our place. We live in a tiny little cottage I call the "Love Shack" owned by the seminary I attend. Our status gate is a chain and lock that have been lying in the ivy since the day we arrived. We moved here four years ago when I decided to leave behind everything that I had ever worked for in advertising world to enter seminary.

Giving-up my status-gate wasn’t nearly as difficult as confronting some of the gates I encountered in my seminary journey. It has been frustrating and lonely at times. I came from a place where one said what was on one’s mind and there was very little time for games-- and believe it or not was often more spiritual than the church. The church has its own status-gates and I find that frustrating. Don’t get me wrong, I have encountered grace poured-out in my life from the church. God has touched me through many loving, dedicated, self-sacrificing people in the church.

I know there are some that believe that the business world consists only of Gordon Gekkos who thrive on envy and live by the motto "greed is good." The reality is I’ve met folks in the business world that reminded of Jesus just as I have met folks in the church who resemble Gordon Gekko. It just angers me more when I encounter Gordon Gekko in the church salivating over the remote control to his status-gate.

There have been times that I have been treated as though I have never done anything in my life prior to entering seminary mostly by folks who have never done anything in life prior to their entering seminary. I came from an environment where I was paid well for my peak performance and entered an environment where some folks detest peak performance and value tenure and sabbaticals. I never dreamt of a sabbatical prior to coming to seminary but now that I have been here for four years, I think I need one. I know that Holy Week is intense and stressful but the reality is, nearly every week in the advertising business is as intense as Holy Week.

So here I am, walking my dog and looking at the status-gates wondering what in the world have I gotten myself into. As I passed the countless status-gates they flirted with me, tempting me with their beauty. I secretly wished that I wanted one—for life sure would be much easier. At least if I possessed a status-gate I would be reminded each evening why I do what I do and I could feel important again… and just maybe a little more secure.