Pastor's Letter - July

There’s a singer-songwriter I am fond of by the name of Ben Folds. He’s a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, and had a minor hit in the late nineties with a song called “Brick.” But lately, I’ve been rolling the lyrics to another song of his in my head. The song is called “Smoke”, and it’s about how sometimes people try to disown a part of their past. Maybe my song interpretation is wrong, but as far as I can see it, the song argues that even when we try to rip out pages of our past and burn them, they are still evident in metaphorical “smoke” that lingers on. In other words, our past is a part of us, all of it, and we either can embrace it and give thanks that it brought us to the place we are today or we can deny it and pay a price for that denial.

I say this because if you are like me, you have guilt in your past. Things you said that came out the wrong way. Decisions that you would have made very differently if you had another chance. Even in my tenure at Trinity, there are parts of conversations that roll around in my head, and I don’t know why I do this, but it’s rarely the great conversations. It’s the embarrassing moments. It’s the “foot in my mouth” moments. And there are many of those.

I am fond of pointing out in Bible Study that in scripture, we are not supposed to identify with Jesus, but rather we are supposed to see ourselves in the role of his disciples. Why? Well, neither you nor I can say that we are the Son of God. We can’t claim saving power that emanates from us. But this ragtag group of fishermen, tax collectors, and uneducated laborers that Jesus chooses to teach and then send out - yep, we can relate. They certainly regretted things as well.

Peter did great things in scripture, but what do most people remember him for? Denying Jesus three times. Thomas at one point in the scriptures states that he is willing to die alongside Jesus, a very brave statement, but he is remembered as being “Doubting Thomas.” I mean, I might have failures, but at least they won’t be remembered for the next 2,000 years…. hopefully.

In light of this world’s tumultuousness, I try to remember this as I encounter people I both agree and disagree with about everything that has been going on. We are not perfect. They are not perfect. I certainly am not perfect. With that in mind, grace is what is going to carry the church through this time. Grace is the one thing we can teach the world around us, but it also means that we ourselves have to put it into practice.

I just saw someone do something with their child that drove me nuts. Their young child, perhaps four or five, was giving them a run for their money in the Target parking lot as I was entering. The woman, presumably this child’s mother, yelled, “THIS is why you won’t have any brothers or sisters! I don’t want anymore after this!” I thought, wow, what a horrible thing to say to a child! But then I thought about what might have driven this young mother to that point. I thought about how my own child can, yes, drive me to frustration. And I breathed and said a brief word of prayer for her and her son.

It’s so easy to put ourselves in the judgment seat. But that’s not where we belong- we are to be endless givers of grace and mercy.

Peace be with you along the way,

Pastor Brian

Guest UserJuly 31, 2020

Pastor's Letter - July

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