Sesame Street Lesson Unlearned

I grew up watching Sesame Street.

One of the reoccurring learning segments on the show was “One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others.”

Remember it? The song went…

One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn’t belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?

Three of these things belong together
Three of these things are kind of the same
Can you guess which one of these doesn’t belong here?
Now it’s time to play our game.

The point of the lesson was to help kids identify the differences between shapes.

Unfortunately, many of us go through life singing that song about ourselves—feeling like we are the one not like the others…

The one that doesn’t belong.

In God’s Kingdom—in the church, we need to unlearn this Sesame Street lesson.

In God’s Kingdom—in the church, the lesson is: YOU BELONG.

You belong. You fit. You’re wanted and needed.

You have a place, by design, in God’s house.

In Ephesians chapter 2, Paul describes how Jesus tore down the wall separating the insiders from the outsiders.

“Instead of continuing with two groups of people separated by centuries of animosity and suspicion, he created a new kind of human being, a fresh start for everybody.” (Ephesians 2.15 MSG)

It’s no longer “one thing is not like the other.”

It’s now “YOU BELONG.”

“This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building.” (Ephesians 2.19 MSG)

Did you catch that?

YOU BELONG HERE.

You belong in God’s family, in God’s house.

You are part of what He is building and doing, regardless of your past.

One of these things is not like the others?

Not in God’s house…

You belong, we belong.