This Invitation Is Open To Everyone!

One of my colleagues recently commented that my personality is too irreverent at times, and that I never take anything seriously. I agreed. "All of that and more," I told him, and then added, "I'm preaching the service this coming Sunday, if you would like to see my serious side, drop in around 10:30 in the morning and it will be there." June 5, 2005 arrived at 1stB, but, alas, my friend never did. Personally I think that simply the "thought" of me being serious, even for the brief time that a regular church service takes, was too much for him to handle. Maybe he didn't come because I had informed him that it was a communion Sunday and after 22 years of being away from the church(Catholic)he actually feared his own feelings. I don't really have an answer! But then, there are no answers quite often to how or why things are, they just are! My colleague is an intellectual, maybe that explains his attitude toward faith. Whatever the attitude encompasses, it is far too pervasive in today's society, even here on the plains where belief in the Bible and the teachings it has to offer is stronger than most parts of the US. The individual to whom I am referring has a "good" life, and he is not a "bad" person. In some ways he reminds me of the bulk of our great unwashed masses who have given up on the ideals which were an important part of their upbringing. Realities are a mere matter of perception! I love the "peace" that is to be found in living in harmony with creation. This is not a new thought, in fact, it is one of the oldest, and it is in the center of every belief system found written down. The songwriter(psalmist)cried out in top forty form a few years ago, "GIVE ME SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN" and millions of people loved it! Why? Because those lyrics expressed their own desires in a way that was concise and to the point. But what if the "SOMETHING" sought turns out to be the "wrong" thing for the individual? Then there is no peace! If you're out there and you're looking for "SOMETHING" to believe in, give God a chance. A very wise octagenarian once told me straight in the eye, "You need God a lot more than God needs you!" And he meant it, and I did, and we all do! I'd absolutely love running into you at church this Sunday, but you don't have to come where I serve. The "true" Body of Christ is alive and well in all of the churches across the face of our planet. The "people" are the church, not the building where they gather to sing, pray, and celebrate! In Christ's Love, Preacher.