Between Sundays 5/6/10

Published: Thu, 05/06/10


May 5, 2010                                                                                                 www.lakeworthchurch.org
 
Being Jesus
 
Dr. John Button passed along an email to me that was a great reminder for me about what being the church "Between Sundays" is all about. I wanted to share it with you:
 
A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in  Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding. All but one. He paused, took a deep breath, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.  
   
He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor. He was glad he did.  

The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.
 
The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket. When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, 'Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?' She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, 'I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly.'  As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, 'Mister.......' He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, 'Are you Jesus?' 

He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: 'Are you Jesus?'
 
Do people mistake you for Jesus? That's our Destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace. If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day.  
    
 
 
   
Every Life...
We are continuing our Sunday morning series on community and relationships, Every Life.... This week, we learned that "Every Life...Needs a Cheering Section." You can listen or watch here.
 
Next Sunday, we will explore how "Every Life...Needs Love," as well as pay homage to those who often love us most, our moms! We hope to see you there!
 
 
Leadership Corner:
Frontier, Wilderness, Boundaries
Last weekend, Pastor Jason, Bobbi Marsh, and Steve Lipman attended the Florida Conference Annual Meeting in Naples, FL. The keynote speakers, Rev. DaVita McAllister and Rev. Elena Larssen, offered three provocative images that relate to the position of the Christian church in society. You can read a summary here.
 
 
FAQs About Pastor Jason's Transition
As most of us know, at the end of next week Pastor Jason will be transitioning to a full time position as chaplain for VITAS Innovative Hospice Care and into a part time position with the church. You might find an answer to a question you have among the Frequently Asked Questions here.
 
 
This Week's Opportunities
Next Saturday, May 15th, at 3:30, the youth are invited to the Waterchase Pool in Boynton Beach. Join Carol Lewis and your crew from church for a weekend break from the grind. See Carol for more info and directions.
 
 
Check out the weekly calendar here.
 
  
Digging Deeper
If you are interested in exploring some of the ideas introduced in our new Sunday morning series, you might be interested in these two books, among others, that Pastor Jason has been using for research:
 
Life Together
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
 
Everybody's Normal 'Til You Get to Know Them
John Ortberg 
 
And here are some scripture passages to explore: 
 
About Barnabas: Acts 4:34-37, Acts 9:26-28, Acts 15:36-41
 
1 Corinthians 13 
1 John 4:7-12


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