The Holy and the Common by Daniel Jolliff

“Holy” is one of those words that one rarely hears outside of a church context. Even then, it is a greatly misunderstood word. Quite often, when people hear “holy” what they think is “holier-than-thou.” It comes across as a “self-righteous” thing that most people want to avoid. Besides, the societal pressure is to “fit-in” and conform to the group, whichever group that may be. I mean, no one really wants to stick out in a crowd, and certainly not as some sort of religious zealot.
A big part of the problem is that most people, even church-people, don’t really understand what “holy” means. “Holy” is the opposite of “common.” It means “unique,” “special” or “unusual.” It is usually associated with something that has a very specific and unusual purpose. I know that growing up we had some “holy” dishes that came from the orient. Most of the time they sat on display and we children were told never to touch them. Every now and then, when a special visitor would come over to our house for dinner, those oriental dishes would be taken off of their display stands, rinsed and wiped carefully and then placed perfectly on the table. I knew they were from the orient because every time we used them my mother would say something about China. If the China was on the table, it meant someone special was coming over or that something special was happening. Thus, the “holy” dishes would come out.
Whenever something special is treated as something common, something important has been lost. God intended His people to be a “holy” people. That does not mean that we can look down on other people and act as if we are better than they are. It means that we have a special purpose, an unusual function in this world. God’s people are supposed to display God to the rest of the world. Thus, if God’s people act and talk the way everyone else does, if God’s people display values and priorities the same way that everyone else does, then they are no longer holy…they have become common. When that happens, the Church, God’s people, have lost their message. It is important to know and teach the difference.

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