Branded…

I’m standing in the detergent aisle at the grocery store and I’m overwhelmed by the choices. I do a quick count and learn that there are fifteen different varieties…of Tide! Not even counting the other brands, there are fifteen kinds of Tide: liquid, powder, scented, scent-free, color-fast, with bleach, with fabric softener, etc. And et cetera some more. Even in the soda aisle, there is Diet Coke in two sizes of cans and four sizes of bottles, Diet Coke with lemon or lime or black cherry or caffeine-free or with Splenda. Do we really need this much variety?
It doesn’t end there. Take a look in the yellow pages under “churches.” I counted 97 different denominations listed in Austin. That’s not separate congregations; that is separate denominations, some of which have dozens of churches in Austin. There are seventeen differents varieties of Baptists alone.
If it’s so hard to choose the right detergent, how can we ever choose the right church? Which one is going to take care of our dirty laundry? For me, simpler is better. I don’t need the detergent with “spring fresh” scent or fabric softener. I just wanna get my stuff clean. The simple message of Jesus—love God and love other people as much as you love yourself—has been loaded down with endless “new and improved” additives that only serve to confuse and cause division.
But somewhere on that crowded aisle is a plain white box with big letters that say “GRACE.” And on the side panel it says, “Also contains love, forgiveness and peace of mind. No artificial ingredients.” I’ll buy that.