Whew! It's good to go away on vacation, but boy, is it good to come home! I don't think I'll attempt two border crossings (Niagara Falls and the Blue Water Bridge) in the same day. More than three hours of waiting in line! But the boys were awesome even with all of the time in the car. I'm so proud of them.
I told the congregation yesterday in service that the people of Boston were so kind and helpful. Even though they've seen millions and millions of tourists walking their streets looking for Paul Revere's house and the Old North Church, they still patiently tell us where they're to be found. Why do they do this? They're kind folks, as I said, but also, they know that they're ambassadors for the city of Boston. If they make a bad impression upon the guests that come to their wonderful city, chances are that people will be turned off by their attitude and won't want to return. And worse yet, they may tell their friends and families of their not-so-good experiences.
In the same way, we're to be ambassadors of the local church we belong to, and more importantly, of the message of Jesus Christ - the Savior of the world. In this consumer kind of world we live in, it doesn't take much to turn people off. That includes our attitudes, words, and actions that are in contradiction of our faith in Jesus.
"Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the Word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:14 - 15)
And now, it's back to lots of work as we prepare for a "new year" that begins in the fall with the start of the school year. It's going to be here before we know it, to the chagrin of all the kids enjoying the fleeting days of summer! God's incredible peace to you all! Pastor D
No comments:
Post a Comment