Super Bowl Sunday, Real People, and Grace

This past Sunday was Resurrection Sunday. While I was pastoring I referred to this as the preacher’s “Super Bowl Sunday”. There was an excitement in the air and we typically had by far the largest attendance of the year. The comedian John Crist has a great short video on what pastors are like on Easter Sunday morning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XsrJ3687aM.

It was strange not being in the pulpit on Easter as I’ve preached every Easter Sunday since 1990. Our faith is founded on the One who died, was buried, and rose again on the 3^rdday. And so to not stand and proclaim the hope of the gospel was strange. I did much better than I thought I would. The only time I got choked up was during the invitation. It was an unusually long invitation and during that time I reflected on all of the times (about 4,200 over the 28+ years) I’d stood where that pastor was standing; at the front of the church dealing with those who responded and praying for those who needed to respond. It hit afresh and anew that I’d likely never stand in that spot again… but it also hit me that there are many other ways to serve the Lord faithfully as a layman. 

The long invitation leads me to the 2^nd thing … real people. A coworker invited me to attend their church on Sunday. It’s a non-denominational church that is predominantly African-American. There were several Caucasians there but the pastoral staff, worship team, and praise band were all African-American. The worship experience itself was much different than what I’m used to. I’m not saying it was bad in any way simply different. There was something else that was different too. On the way into the building, during worship, and leaving the building after the service I noticed the same thing each time … the people were real; they were genuine. 

When I walked in they didn’t see a white man in his late 50’s wearing a seersucker blue pinstriped suit with a pink bow tie (yes that’s really what I wore). What they saw through their eyes was simply a man who had come to the building to worship the Lord with them. As they spoke to me they didn’t speak to me as one might speak to someone who is strangely out of place. They spoke to me as someone they genuinely wanted to know was welcome there. During worship they had a remarkable freedom to worship. Some stood and some sat … the one leading the worship never instructed to stand or sit except when God’s Word was read. Many responded with the occasional hallelujah or praise the Lord and no one thought anything about it. The sermon was actually shorter than the invitation and I was told that’s often the case. It wasn’t a prolonged invitation. There was the pastor, the associate pastor, and a woman who received only women for prayer standing at the front and they were with someone the entire time. Then when worship was over and I left, I experienced the same genuineness from people who were simply glad I was there. Is that the church for me? I honestly don’t know. Will I go back? Yes probably at some point. And the reason I will go back is because the people were real in a way to me that was refreshing.

This leads to the 3^rd thing I briefly wanted to speak about… grace. They never asked what I did before moving to Rolla and even if they had I got the sense it would not have mattered to them that I am a “former” pastor. In 28+ years of pastoring, parenting, and marriage did I ever make a mistake? I made enough mistakes for you and me both. And many through the years extended grace … but many didn’t. Why is it that those of us who know the grace of God and know what was done for us so that our many sins could be forgiven, why do we find it so difficult to extend grace to a brother or sister? Sometimes those things we are quick to judge, we do so without having anywhere near a full knowledge of all the circumstances. Recently I’ve made some choices, “poor” choices in many people’s estimation. But those who judge the decisions do so without a full knowledge of all the circumstances. I am sure that in the days ahead there will be many more who question my decisions. I don’t ask for people to agree with my decisions or approve of them. I simply ask for the grace to make decisions. If they are wrong God can whip me more effectively than any man. Let’s be real in our worship and extend grace not just to brothers and sisters but also to those who do not yet know the One who died to extend grace to any and all who call on His name. 

Tom