This is not rocket science, but the church has messed up some in the past and will mess up some in the future. I see that. And also I'm sorry for that. I really am; however I tire of what seems (at times) to be a constant poo-pooing of the church. Again: The church makes mistakes, but the church (at it's best) is also a loving people who are trying to follow Jesus Christ. Those stories are not as fun to tell though. You don't see many "Humble Person Bends over Backwards to Serve" headlines. Hypocrisy is much sexier.
When leaving our clergy group this morning something caught my eye. I actually stopped the car. It was a small sign--perhaps 8.5 x 11 and only had one word: clergy. It was a clergy parking sign.
Ordinarily I am not a fan, but this clergy parking sign had one big difference: location. It wasn't near the front door or the pastor's office. It wasn't even in the middle of the lot. In fact, it wasn't much close to anything. This clergy parking sign was in the absolute furthest space from the church building.
How refreshing.
What a good sign. Thank you church for modeling humility with a single sign placement. This won't headline any religious newspapers or The New York Times, but if I was a lay person visiting this church (and I happened to be Methodist:)) the location of that clergy parking sign would send a meaningful signal to me. Any leader who holds him/herself with humility is someone I want to get behind and walk alongside. (I'm not suggesting churches erect clergy parking signs. I only mean to appreciate this one:))
The church makes mistakes, but it also does a lot of things right. Grateful for this good sign.
No comments:
Post a Comment