I am off for some vacation and I am pleased to introduce my first guest blogger series by Rev. Morgan Murray of Community Presbyterian Church in San Juan Capistrano. Besides being a fine pastor and good friend, Morgan is also one of smartest guys I know. For the next two weeks you will have the opportunity to interact with him on his topic "The Rich Young Rulers of Orange County." You'll enjoy this. And thanks Morgan for filling in so I could get away with the family. 
Tod
Thanks, Tod, for giving me an opportunity to share some ideas with your readers. At this writing, I am celebrating my one year anniversary as the pastor of Community Presbyterian Church in San Juan Capistrano in south Orange County. As the oldest protestant church in one of the oldest communities in California, the church has a long tradition of service. But like many mainline congregations, we have an aging membership and the young families in our community have very little interest in our church. The notable exception is that we have nearly two hundred families whose children are enrolled in our preschool which has an excellent reputation and a waiting list to prove it. As the new (and young) pastor, my call was intended to make our faith community more attractive to the affluent families whose children fill our classrooms Monday through Friday, but who are conspicuously absent Sunday morning.
In a recent conversation with a colleague, I said that I believed there was no “silver bullet” for the outreach-to-young-families problem. “Oh, there is a silver bullet, but you don’t want to use it,” he replied. “The pastors who attract these young families do something we must not do. They pander to them.” I was taken aback. Do we really have to pander to young professionals in order to draw them into Christian community?
Fortunately, we know that Jesus dealt with this situation firsthand. All three synoptic gospels record Jesus’ encounter with a man who has come to be known as the Rich Young Ruler. Perhaps the most memorable part of the story comes when Jesus instructs the man to sell everything he has and then “follow me.” We can almost see the shocked look on the man’s face as he “went away grieving, for he had many possessions.” Jesus extends an invitation; the young man rejects it. Even though Jesus desires to see this young man become part of the new community he is creating, Jesus lets the man walk away. He does not run after him. He does not modify the instruction. He does not pander.
Yet, the scriptures explicitly say that Jesus loves this man. We must conclude then that Jesus’ loves is precisely why he refuses to issue a retraction. As I gather with other parents outside my son’s preschool class and overhear their conversations about soccer practices, birthday parties and carpools, I wonder what message they have received about becoming part of our worshipping community. Would joining our church be just another add-on to an already impossible social calendar? Do we love them, or do we only want them only for their time, talent and treasure? Do we hope to build them up or use them up? Unlike Jesus, we find it difficult to love them with no strings attached. It is my hope that as we reflect upon this encounter between Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler, we will see the Rich Young Rulers of Orange County with new eyes, hear Jesus’ teaching with new ears, and respond to both with new hearts.
Tomorrow: Most Likely To Be Envied?
