When I was young, one of the books I read and loved was Tarzan
of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
The book was published over 100 years ago in 1914, and was followed by 25
sequels. I thought Tarzan was one cool
dude, and I was apparently not alone in this assessment. He has been a popular
figure known the world over ever since he swung onto the world stage. And he has moved into every branch of our
culture. He’s in comic books, songs
(remember "Guitarzan"?), been on the radio and even had his own TV show. According to the Internet Movie Database
there are 200 movies with the word “Tarzan” in the title. So why have so many people over the past 100
years found the character so fascinating?
I suspect it has something to do with being an outsider
longing to find a place in the world. Tarzan
is an outsider. After being orphaned as
an infant, he’s raised by apes, who become his adopted family. But he’s different from them and never
totally fits in. In later books written
by Burroughs, Tarzan settles with Jane in London
and adapts the thin veneer of civilization, but even here he never fits
in. He longs for the jungle and his
jungle family. He is still most
comfortable sleeping in trees and eating raw meat. Eventually he returns to the Jungle. He is devoted to Jane in both worlds, but he
himself is never totally at home wherever he is. So it makes sense to me that young people
struggling with their feelings of being “different” (and what young person
doesn’t feel this way) would read a book about a similar outsider and find it
meaningful.
People long to fit in.
People want to belong. And yet,
people are all different. No one
entirely fits in anywhere. And this tension between wanting to fit in and being
different makes a lot of people nervous about congregations. Churches have frequently expected folk to
meet cookie-cutter expectations, wanting everyone to look, think, and act alike. And people who attend these congregations usually
become experts at pretending like they are the same. But in reality, we’re all different, even
when we pretend otherwise. And this is
why one of the most powerful gifts a congregation can give to others is the
gift of accepting them in spite of differences.
I celebrate Maple Avenues willingness to share this
gift. We expect you to be nice, and to
respect others, but we don’t expect you to be like everyone else. Whenever somebody walks through the door of a
church for the first time, they can’t help but wonder: “Will people here welcome
and accept me?” I believe the answer to
that question at Maple Avenue
is “You bet!” It doesn’t matter how
you’re dressed. It doesn’t matter your
past. It doesn’t matter your ethnic
background. Other congregations may
reject you because they don’t like who you are, but we’re glad to see you here!
Tarzan never quite fits in.
But wherever he goes, he is a blessing.
He never fails to come to the rescue of those who are in trouble. He has a unique set of talents which he uses
to make the world better. And I think
the same can be said of each one of our members. I even believe it’s true of visitors who walk
through our doors.
You probably know why I’m talking about Tarzan. We are currently hard at work preparing for
our summer musical production of Tarzan!
We have an amazingly talented
cast, and I think it’s going to be well worth seeing. And at this musical, as with everything else
we do around here, you, your friends, and your neighbors are always welcome.
Really.
Yours in Christ
David
