Sermon Recap: Back to the Primary (school) -- Matching

I hope that you have enjoyed the sermon series that we have been dealing with over the last few months. This "Back to the Primary" series was inspired by my time working with a little autistic boy at the primary school. There are primary/basic things that we have learned about our faith, but yet we so quickly forget.

My little fellow at school has many difficulties in learning. His educational process is filled with many baby steps followed by MAJOR celebrations. Over the past few months, he has learned to sign for a chip, a cookie, and juice. Occasionally, he even asks for chicken during lunch. Not a great deal of understandable communication is happening.

He has the ability of matching pictures. I can place twelve pictures out all over the table, and he can match each one correctly. I am fairly impressed by that, considering that a few days a week, I have a hard time matching my socks. The problem comes in when I lay the twelve cards on the table and then have objects for him to place on those pictures. For example: there is a picture of a pencil on the table, and I give the student a real pencil. He does not know that the real pencil matches the picture. He has no grasp of the concept of pencil. Matching, at a more advanced level is very frustrating for him, and me.

The new job responsibilities that have been given to Sarah and I have kept us busy lately. We are, and will continue to be the chaplains here at Apache, but there are other duties that keep us moving. Many Sundays, after worship, I visit another church along the Grand Strand. Not too long ago, I walked in a rather large local church. There were people at the door to greet me, the Worship order had a welcoming section in it, and during the announcements the Lector extended greetings as well. The music was amazing, and the sermon was warm and encouraging. After the Benediction, I exited the front door and was second in line to meet the pastor. I introduced myself, and shook his hand. After a lukewarm handshake, he abruptly cut off the opportunity for dialogue and went to the next person. I had the feeling that he REALLY had somewhere he needed to be, and my wanting to meet him was just something that he HAD to deal with.

The kicker of the whole event was that I received a form letter from the church the following week. I will paraphrase the paragraph that made me laugh!

"It was great to have you in Worship this past Sunday. Next time you visit, find the pastor and introduce yourself to him. He would love to meet you. We are a friendly church, and YOU are important!"

You know, things just did not seem to match up, as they should.

Ephesians 5:1-2

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Paul urges the Bride of Christ to an imitator, a copy, a close match--to the way God loves.

Compare the way I was treated by the Clergy man, well-educated, carrier of a Doctorate, and wearer of a Genevan Gown to the event that happened to me--less than one hour ago.

I have a few vices. One thing--I love to eat! As if you did not know that already! One of the other vices that I will disclose to you is that I love coffee. I visit a Starbucks at least 5 days a week. This past week, they began the Christmas marketing season, and are featuring a Christmas Blend that I do not like. It is spicy and fruity and I just do not care for it. I like my coffee bold and strong. Kinda like the cowboys make in the campside peculator. (Laughter from the congregation) There is a super friendly young lady behind the counter there. Her name is Jordan. Today, I was trying to figure out a way to get a cup of coffee that I would drink. I asked for a decaf coffee with two espresso shots. She asked, "Why are you doing that?" I explained my dislike for the Christmas Blend, and she listened.

"If you have a few minutes, I will be glad to French Press you some." Now, for you non coffee aficionados, that means she was going to take the time to make me an individual cup of coffee. She took 7 minutes to take care of me. On this Sunday morning at 8 am, she took the time to make sure that I knew that I mattered. I was important, and welcome to come there anytime.

I have no idea if she is a believer in Christ. She may not even like her job. But on this day, she was a minister to me. That cup of coffee and the Holy Spirit have empowered me to preach to you today. I needed the caffeine and the ending to the sermon. Isn't it interesting how God always provides us just what we need, when we need it.

This week, I am going to share this sermon with her and encourage her to keep blessing others. Service to others often opens up avenues for conversation. I am really looking forward to that!

Are we going the extra mile? Or do we treat others as if we have somewhere more important to be?

The question for me is: Do I give that Pastor another chance?

The answer is: Did Christ give me another chance?

We all have times where we disconnect and are so inwardly directed that we miss the divine chances to dispense grace to hurting people.

When my little guy at school messes up his matching, we start over. Sounds gracious to me!!

Closing Prayer:

Father, please keep molding us and making us until we are images of Christ Jesus, our redeemer. We have wronged others, and we have been wronged. Teach us to forgive, serve, and begin again. Amen