“No No-Flyover Restrictions” (The Royal Family Podcast S2E10)

October 12, 2015

Season 2, Episode 10
For Monday, October 12, 2015
“No No-Flyover Restrictions”

Show Notes:

There is a new no-flyover restriction over Will and Kate’s Amner Hall. Unfortunately, some spiritual royals want to have no-flyover rules in regards to who can approach them, befriend them, or benefit from their friendship. As James writes, “Things things ought not so to be.”

Episode Transcript:

Welcome to the Royal Family Podcast, a show all about what it means to be in God’s royal family. Every week we take a story from the British monarchy and apply it to our lives as members of the royal family of God.

On todays episode, we’re going to be talking about everyone’s favorite royal couple — Will and Kate. As we’ve mentioned in previous episodes, people go to extreme lengths to photograph the royals and their two little ones. Because of such invasive and mildly insane tactics, the royals were recently granted a no-fly ruling for their Amner Hall residence. The order says that no one may fly 2000 ft or lower over a 1.5 mile radius of the property, unless of course you’re emergency vehicles, the royal helicopters, or a VIP guest. Otherwise, stay away!

I totally get it for Will’s and Kate’s and their children’s privacy. They need to be protected, and I am thankful that the young parents will have some needed relief on that front. But as members of the royal family of God, I don’t think we’re entitled to the same luxury—and we definitely shouldn’t be seeking it out.

It seems too many in today’s church culture want to remain in their own bubble. They want a no-flyover rule in place…where no sinner, no needy member, no one outside of their socio-economic class can come in and bother or require more than they want to give. No addicts. No poor. No broken. No messy. Instead, the only converts we want are people who are mostly good people anyway, with not a lot to change. We want our friends in the church to be people whose lives are all together and perfect. Nothing that requires effort. Nothing that messes up our life or inconveniences us in any way.

The problem with this logic is that it is completely unChristlike. Jesus was, for His entire earthly existence, inconvenienced. Leaving heaven —where He was GOD — to come in the form of the ones He created…inconvenient. Healing the many pressing physical afflictions of the broken and messy here on earth…and the while trying to carry out His own mission of going to the cross for them…inconvenient. Messy. His story wasn’t a masterpiece. It was pieced together by hard times…nowhere to lay His head, no friends that wouldn’t betray Him…and yet Jesus continued to pour His life out for those around Him. He came here to save the broken — to save the messy — to save the addicts and unpopular and outcasts. He had compassion on them and sought them out, and we should do the same.

Yes, there will be evil people in the world who seek to destroy us. They may venture as far as taking our physical lives because we are disciples of Jesus. But that threat shouldn’t lead us to putting in these no-flyover restrictions. We shouldn’t box people out…creating a hedge around us…because we’re afraid of what might happen. Instead, we are to be inviting people in. Showing them Jesus. Offering ourselves to them so that they can see our God in us.

It will not be easy. It is hard to open yourself to people who aren’t like you. It is hard to give up some of your own comfort, your own privacy, your own money or time or resources. And yet that’s exactly what being a disciple is all about. Not alienating people. Not shutting people out. But bringing people in. Their sins have separated them from God, and we are to be the means by which they are brought to the saving blood of Jesus. We won’t do that if we are boxing ourselves in, creating no-flyover rules for our lives.

May it never be said that christians are haughty or stuck up or holier than thou. May it never be said that Christians only want to be around other Christians…that Christians weren’t friendly to guests in the assembly….that Christians were rude to the waiter/waitress or whoever else they encountered out in the world. Instead, let us all strive to imitate Jesus. He is, after all, our Lord. And if our Lord—our master. As His servants, then, we shouldn’t expect to be greater than our master…and He washed the feet of those around Him, he sat with sinners, he had compassion on the sick and feeble. He taught adulteresses and rich rulers and tax collectors and social outcasts. He was eager to seek and save the lost. And how could He have done that without going out among the lost?

We must be about our father’s business. We must seek and save the lost. To do that, we can’t shut ourselves off from the world. We can’t hedge ourselves in. We must open ourselves up to others, allowing them to form relationships with us so that they can see Jesus in us.

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