Recently, my friend and interim pastor sent this message to our congregation and I share it today on World Kindness Day as a reminder of who we should be.
Confessions of an interim:
“You have heard it said, ‘Leave your bumper stickers in the parking lot.’ In fact, I’ve heard many of you say it recently. Apparently, it’s a favorite mantra here. Not all churches follow that advice.
“In fact, most churches have cars with like-minded bumper stickers, and the ideas they reflect move freely between the parking lot and the church. Recently, I mentioned listening to a local preacher’s sermon, which included several comments about climate change and transgender issues. I never said what the preacher’s opinions were, but the way many of you filled in the blanks was illuminating.
“If we’re doing this church thing right, the way Jesus might approve of, perhaps bumper stickers work differently. Wouldn’t we come into church, hear a Sunday School lesson or a sermon that helped us understand God’s guidance from the Bible, and then go back out and maybe rethink our bumper stickers?
“Shouldn’t our encounter with God’s Word restructure our values in some way? Sure, sometimes we just need a message of comfort and assurance that we’re still loved.
“Even that should change us a little, perhaps giving us extra sympathy for someone else going through a hard time.
“No one who really encountered a message from God in the Bible came away from it the same as they were before. That’s the point. If God were interested in just blessing us as we are, there would be no cross.
“Some of the hardest work people do is personal change: getting over that temper, quitting the booze, practicing good finances, listening and asking questions more. As we spend time with Almighty God week after week, lots of things should start to look different: ourselves, our neighbors, our work, maybe even our bumper stickers.”
Credit to Dr. Carl Grosse, interim minister at Fountain City Presbyterian Church
