It’s been a while since I’ve
filled this space! The last month or so has been slammed for me. Between budget
season at work, funerals, and home ownership responsibilities, I’ve neglected
to write. Little by little, piece by piece, my house is becoming a home. I’m
proud to announce that I now have a kitchen table – only took one month! (I
just said little by little and I meant it!).
Through
all the busyness, I am thankful that Lord has continued to draw me ever closer
to Himself. My desire to study His word, write, and spread his message has only
intensified. I am humbled as this desire is stoked by God and is not of myself.
Since moving over to a new city, I’ve tried out a few different Church bodies looking
for a fit similar to what I had in Franklin. I’m still actively looking, but I
have enjoyed each worship service that I have participated in. There was an occurrence
one Sunday morning that will forever reinforce for me the teachings of Christ
in the Gospels.
Walking
into a Church for the first time truly takes a lot of bravery. Enter at your
own risk! Tons of thoughts roll through your mind as you anxiously slide into a
pew.
·
What will it be like?
·
Will people be friendly?
·
Will the theology align with Scripture?
·
Will the sermon be good?
·
Will I be able to get involved?
·
Will the coffee be burnt?
So many factors play into whether
or not you’ll return to a Church after the initial visit. I’ve heard the
statistic that most people decide on returning within the first seven minutes
of arriving at a Church. First impressions are that critical!
Anyways,
all these thoughts (maybe not the one about the coffee) and more flooded my mind
as I strolled into the sanctuary for my first visit to this Church. Soon after
I sat down, I was spotted by an older lady sitting in the pew in front of me.
She walked with a little difficulty and was accompanied by her college-aged
granddaughter. She asked if I was new and I explained that I was new to living
in town but had been working in the area for a while. From there, we discussed
work and what I was looking for in a Church. I enjoyed the pleasant
conversation and it helped to pass the awkward moments prior to the start of
service.
The
service was wonderful – it was liturgical in style (gets bonus points from me)
and the preaching was excellent. It was a larger congregation so that meant
lots of opportunities to get involved. It took a little longer than seven minutes,
but I made up my mind that I would return to this Church the following Sunday. I
said goodbye to the friendly older lady and headed on my way. (I probably had
to mow my yard or something.) That reminds me – pray for rain, my grass is
dying!
True
to my word, I returned to the large Church I had visited the week before. I
arrived well before the service was set to begin and sat in the same area I had
warmed the previous week. Shortly after, my older friend arrived and took her place
in the pew in front of me. We again struck up a friendly conversation and
passed the time until the service began. It wasn’t much, but seeing a familiar
place made the large sanctuary feel more like home.
Another
excellent liturgy and sermon proceeded. I was starting to feel like I could
find a place at this Church. As I stood to leave the sanctuary, my friend from
the pew had something to tell me. She told me that she had really enjoyed
meeting me but also that I wouldn’t be seeing her at Church anymore. I quickly asked her why. She explained that
her granddaughter was returning to college in Maine and wouldn’t have a ride to
Church anymore. In the moment, I conjured up a condolence, wished her well, and
expressed that I hoped she would find another ride. I continued my march
towards the sanctuary doors, shook the preacher’s hand, and headed for home – I
probably had grass to mow.
As
I made the short trek home, the Lord brought a specific Scripture to the
forefront of my thoughts. The passage the Lord etched into my mind was none
other than Matthew 25: 31-46 – the sheep and goats passage I mentioned a few
posts ago. It may seem a little pedantic, but I’d encourage you to read the
entire passage below:
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the
angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All
the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people
one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He
will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then
the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my
Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the
creation of the world. 35 For
I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I
needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after
me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then
the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and
invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in
prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The
King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of
these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then
he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For
I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
nothing to drink, 43 I
was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not
clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They
also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or
needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He
will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of
these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then
they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Upon
recalling this passage, I immediately thought of the older lady in the pew in
front of me who had been so friendly and made me to feel welcome. Sure, I had
really meant what I said when I hoped she would find a ride to Church the next
Sunday. The problem was that deep down I didn’t truly care at that particular
moment in time. I wasn’t going to be able to attend that Church the next week,
so it wouldn’t have been practical for me to offer her a ride with me. However,
there were other avenues I could have pursued to help her had I truly cared. I
could have taken just a few minutes to explain the situation to one of the
pastors who surely would have been happy to arrange a ride for the faithful,
outgoing woman. But I was too busy for that – after all, I probably had grass
to mow.
As
I cruised into a left turn lane, I had time to ponder while stopped at the
light. In my mind, I replaced the words in verse 42 above with: “For I needed a
ride to Church, and you gave me nothing”. I was immediately filled with regret
that I hadn’t done more to help a lady who had been so friendly to me. I was so
preoccupied with myself and my to-do list that I failed miserably to apply any
of the teachings from the many sermons I have heard over the years. Maybe this was
God’s way of keeping me humble. Maybe this was His way of telling me that I’m a
work in process – that I’m not there yet. I said a little prayer at that moment
that God would get her to Church the next Sunday as well as the Sundays that
follow.
Unfortunately,
the interaction with this lady wasn’t the first time I’d missed an opportunity
to reflect Christ’s teaching in the Gospel. If I’m being honest with myself, I’ll
probably miss more opportunities. If you’re being honest with yourself, you’ll
miss some opportunities as well. This is the downfall of our sinful nature Paul
wrote about throughout the New Testament in pointing us to our need for redemption
in Christ. But part of growing in Christ is learning to convert these
opportunities at a much greater clip. These opportunities are all around us,
but we are often too self-absorbed to notice the chances to reflect Christ that
are beating our door down.
Malcolm Forbes
once remarked “You can easily judge the
character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”
I’m sure Forbes didn’t have my little interaction at Church in mind when he spoke
or wrote these words, but they are applicable to my situation and go hand in
hand with the sheep and goats passage. Your see, our interpersonal
relationships should reflect our spiritual relationship with our Father in
Heaven. Though we can do nothing for
God, he still calls us to be His children and loves us unconditionally. That’s
the kind of love that should permeate our relationships through the changing
power of the Holy Spirit. Keep your eyes open, Jesus can appear anywhere
needing to be served – even in the pew in front of you.
In Christ,
Kendal May
