Welcome to Tuesday!!! It's the first Tuesday of Fall! Fall really has to be my absolute favorite time of the year!!! Colors that you can almost feel as the timber begins its transition to dormancy and a slight bite in the air that you can definitely feel as we slip into weather that best befits the playing and enjoying of high school and college football. Woo Pig!!! Soups and stews begin to populate kitchen stoves and hay rides,bonfires and hot dog roasts get into high gear as folks celebrate the final days of feeling comfortable doing things outside.
Inside activities begin to become more frequent at this time of the year. With this increase of being inside, we find ourselves somewhat forced into the presence of others. We quickly find ourselves getting to know folks, some for the first time, others we get to know even better. Let's face it, while friendships can blossom while playing in the pool or doing outdoor events, it is much easier for relationships to mature when the proximity to your friends is somewhat more structured. Many folks frequent specific places where they know that friends congregate, because let's face it no one wants to be a stranger, and sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name...
If you're feeling sentimental..."Where Everybody Knows Your Name" Saturday Night Live hosted by Kirstie Alley with guests...
It is our final installment of Tuesday's Musical Notes salute to our favorite TV theme songs, and today's is considered a fan favorite. It was nominated for a Grammy in 1983 for Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics. In a 2011 Rolling Stone Reader's Poll "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" was voted as the best television theme of all time and in 2013 the editors of TV Guide voted with the Rolling Stone fans by making the song their best television theme as well.
What makes the theme song from a TV show about a bar in Boston, Massachusetts so endearing? Like any good song, it has a catchy melody line and lyrics to which anyone can relate. But unlike many songs, it got airplay on a weekly, and then upon syndication, a daily basis. This combination makes for a certifiable hit for songwriter Judy Hart Angelo, and singer/songwriter Gary Portnoy, who used 6 tracks of his own vocals for the harmonies on the chorus.
Are there places in your life that you frequent because you know that it's a place that everyone knows your name? Where are those places? Today's song highlights the local tavern as a place to congregate and socialize. Please understand however that Tuesday's Musical Notes does not abdicate the consumption of alcohol. We don't judge, we just don't indulge or encourage it. We do abdicate getting together as often as you can to build relationships and encourage your friends. The places we suggest tend to be centered on more of an eternal nature however.
There are gathering places all over the world that have folks in them that want to get to know your name. They are called churches, specifically Evangelical churches focused on the doctrine of Jesus Christ as Savior of the world. In fact, some churches have gone to taking the theme song from Cheers as a signature tune for their ministries. It really isn't a far stretch to imagine "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" as a mission statement for a church...
Making your way in the world today
Takes everything you've got;
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
Takes everything you've got;
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
You want to be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same;\
You want to be where everybody knows your name.
All those night when you've got no lights,
The check is in the mail;
And your little angel
Hung the cat up by it's tail;
And your third fiancé didn't show;
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
You want to be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same;
You want to be where everybody knows your name.
All those night when you've got no lights,
The check is in the mail;
And your little angel
Hung the cat up by it's tail;
And your third fiancé didn't show;
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
You want to be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same;
You want to be where everybody knows your name.
In the book of Acts, Luke writes of the beginnings of THE Church. He begins his narrative of the early Church by detailing the events that occured in the 50 days after Jesus' resurrection, specifically, Jesus' affirmation of His promise to send Holy Spirit, Jesus ascension into heaven, the regrouping of the disciples (including Mary, Jesus' mother) in Jerusalem for an extended prayer service, and the selection of the disciple Matthais as the replacement for Judas Iscariot. Here the disciples waited per Jesus' instructions until the day called Pentecost (50 days after Easter). Holy Spirit was given to the disciples on this day. It was at this point that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was preached to a myriad of nationalities. On the day of Pentecost, there was no discussion regarding ethnicity or culture, only an amazement that "uneducated" natives of Israel were able to tell about Jesus in languages that they should not have known. When the folks heard in their "own tongue" about Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection for their redemption, they repented. The church began at this point. Take a few minutes and read about the early church from Dr. Luke and the disciple's perspective: The Book of Acts - New King James Version of the Bible/The Message paraphrase of the Bible parallel
Friend, you may have never had a "Cheers" moment at the churches you have attended. In fact, you may have been raised in a church environment, been involved in a church experience, or just have the preconceived notion that churches look something like this:
If you follow the logic, churches are filled with people, people who on their best day are no where near perfect (only Jesus is perfect), therefore, even on their best day, a church will be no where near perfect. But if a church is doing its best to follow in the model of Acts 2, you will find a place where everyone is welcome, you will soon see a place filled with folks whose troubles are all the same, you will find a place where relationships are being established and built upon, and where the love of Jesus permeates every sinew of the organization's being. If a church is following the leadership of a pastor who is following the leadership of Jesus, it is a place that attracts people. No, everyday at a church isn't sunshine and rainbows, but everyday is made more enjoyable by sharing with folks who are always glad you are there. (The challenge to the membership of any church is to insure that new folks are welcomed, encouraged, engaged, and made into a new friend, regardless of whether they decide to return or not).
So let me encourage you this weekend, look at the websites of churches in your area, make an informed decision about where you want to attend, and then go. You may be surprised at what you find. You may even want to stick around long enough that it becomes a place where everybody knows your name...
So let me encourage you this weekend, look at the websites of churches in your area, make an informed decision about where you want to attend, and then go. You may be surprised at what you find. You may even want to stick around long enough that it becomes a place where everybody knows your name...
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy
