Flunking Chinese

When I was in graduate school, I flunked Chinese-twice. That pretty much put an end to my goal of earning a Ph.D. in East Asian History. This would not have been so embarrassing except that my ancestry is Chinese. I should at least have a feel for this language, if not a basic knowledge or even a genetic predisposition.

I do know a few basic words and sentences, like "How are you?" and the sentence my mother taught me: "Pick up your socks." These can be useful in a few situations. But I had not the motivation to learn the language, despite "being" Chinese.  Being Chinese did not give me a leg up, or any extra credit, in language class.

I think of this when I hear the excuses that people give for coasting along on faith: "We have Abraham for our ancestor!" "We're Christians!" Being a "native Christian" does not necessarily confer on us any special knowledge that grows as we grow. "Being Christian" is a lifelong process of learning to love and serve God and one another. A three-year-old learns this differently from a thirty-year-old.

As we begin this new program year at Calvary, I would like to encourage you to participate in the various Christian formation classes that help us to grow up spiritually, just as we grow up physically. As we grow older, we deserve a deeper, more intimate knowledge and experience of God and what it means to be Christian than what we learned in kindergarten. Lots of exciting programs for children, youth, and adults are available this year, thanks to dedicated volunteers who work to make Calvary a vibrant learning community. And if you feel like you need an entertaining beginner's course, check out "Inside the Episcopal Mind," the inquirer's class which begins this Sunday at 9:00am. Unlike my experience with Chinese class, you'll never flunk it!