PARADOXICAL

Honoring is a community practice that I am very fond of. It's just like "roasting" somebody, putting him in the spotlight and telling him directly the things that make him such an endearing person; the only difference is that the latter is done in a twisted way, i.e., telling things that embarrass rather than upbuild a person being put on the spot.

We are all familiar with what they do in this popular noon-time TV show. It's the closest thing I can think of resembling an honoring. However, the circumstances being showbiz, one wonders whether everyone is sincere enough or whether the whole thing is only meant to elicit copious tears from the hapless "special guest" - and tug at viewers' hearts and the ratings as well.

By contrast, in community we have no TV viewership ratings to concern about. We don't have the hidden agenda of fame and making the right connections.

Viewed from a real-world perspective, honoring is weird, even embarrassing. It's just not acceptable in our culture and in this day and age to honor someone aloud.
In school or in the workplace, even the most formal of greetings is wrapped in sarcasm if not outright insult. When someone of same stature addresses you, "Sir," it is loaded with much teasing or condescension; if the greeting comes from a subordinate, it may be merely a form of groveling.

If you're quite chubby or too thin-framed, people will take to calling you all sorts of names. Of course you are supposed to grin or laugh it off. The more smart thing to do, however, is to retaliate with an insult that's equal if not exceeding in intensity. After all, you're just expressing your affection toward each other; you're just using your respective terms of endearment.

Not in a Christian honoring. The honoree's good points are emphasized in a parade of touching testimonials from those who've had a personal encounter with the honoree.

Honoring is just one among many counter-cultural things I've come to love in the Christian community life.

posted by Resty Odon  # 7:38 PM