From the Rectory
Recently, we sent Ella, the youngest grand, a Taylor Swift tee-shirt. That girl is a hard-core Swiftie! And what's not to love? Ms. Swift has an incredible work ethic, an empowering repertoire,
and a cute little boyfriend. There are certainly worse role models our precious Ella might admire.
This week, we got a fun picture of Ella wearing her “Little Swiftie” shirt, and it made me stop for
a second and ponder — all of us respond in some type of way to various public figures: we are fans, we are supporters, we are followers. Then, there are “influencers” and to be honest, I don't have a clue what they're about: are they chosen by popular vote? Are they simply self-appointed and hoping to “fake it till they make it. Or are they glorified employees who receive products or services in lieu of wages with the understanding they are to positively spotlight and/or promote said products and services via social media? But I digress…
I recently googled ticket prices for a country singer I have followed since the early 80s. The
“cheap seats” for the venue I had in mind were in excess of $300! I don't have a clue what Taylor Swift tickets are going for, so Ella might have to be content with her tee because Neenah isn't
shelling out a car payment for one night’s entertainment for one adorable almost six-year old granddaughter, not to mention her accompanying adults! Do I even want to imagine how much folks pay for seats to a Titans or Predators game? Even tickets to the playhouse or local concerts are considerably more than minimum wage. Anyway, people are clamoring to buy these exorbitantly priced tickets, in some cases lining up for hours or hovering over their computers waiting for the moment they go on sale because they sell out so quickly. Don't get me wrong! I
don't have anything against attending a professional sporting event or an awesome
concert. I might even have spent a few bucks at the Schermerhorn, but that's a tale for another
day.  We get super excited to see our favorite performers, teams, or candidates in person: we mark our calendars, make arrangements for travel, lodging, and pet-sitting. For weeks or even months in advance, we're nearly giddy with anticipation! Granted, these are, in fact, special events. But when the average, ordinary, routine weekend rolls around, we have a millionn excuses not to attend worship (which is free!) — it's hot, it's raining, it's Super Bowl Sunday, my
church shirt needs to be ironed, etc. Where are the influencers for
Jesus?