"Two ears and one mouth"

It was a tough week for our community: losing the National Sports Media Association to our neighbor, Winston-Salem, and the continued threat of violence that has become somewhat of a plague. 

The newspaper and City Council meetings have been filled with comments, letters, complaints, worries, and hoped-for solutions to the problems. Anxiety is high, and anxiety that's led to considerable anger among some.

What to do? There have been lots of opinions, to be sure. In the midst of the opinion-sharing, I'd hope for two things: 

1. Dare to listen to one another. There's a lot of talking these days. Please, let's open our ears and listen. I honestly don't know the day-to-day struggles of my West End neighbors other than what I read in the paper. We need to be open to their insight and eager to gather wisdom from those who know their neighborhood best. That's why my friend Chad says, "God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason."
2. Act out of love for our community. We have much to love here, and we've been fortunate to stand on the shoulders of giants who likewise have loved this community. But we can't truly love something by simply contemplating our love for it. We act. We show our love in the way we speak and in the priorities we establish. The same is true in the realm of peace. Jesus never asked us to be peace-contemplators. He asked that we be peace-makers. Let's be love-makers for our community. Let's begin our comments with these words: "I love this community, therefore ..."

The issues of our day are complex, no doubt. But the most complicated of problems begin with a few simple starting points. Let's start by listening and then proclaiming our true love for this community. 

Thank you, friends, for what you do as bearers of Christ's light. I'll see you in church.

Peace+

Pastor Rhodes

Ash Wednesday? Again?

Someone recently passed along the prayer of an old southern preacher offered before the service each Sunday: 

“Oh Lawd, give thy servant this mawnin’ de eye of de eagle and de wisdom of de owl. Connect his soul wid de gospel telephone of de central skies. ‘Luminate his brow wid de sun of heaven. Saturate his heart wid love of people. Turpentine his ‘magination, grease his lips wid possum. Loosen him wid de sledge hammer of thy power. ‘Lectrify his brain wid de lightning’ of thy Word. Put ‘petual motion in his arms, fill him wid de dynamite of glory, ‘noint him all over wid de kerosene oil of salvation, and den sot him a-fire. Amen!” 

There’s something about Lent that makes us want to set things on fire. No, not in a pyromaniac kind of way, but in a fire-of-the-Spirit kind of way. 

Here’s what I mean. Lent is that 40 day journey from Ash Wednesday to Easter morn. During Lent the church does what it does best: we reconnect with our core beliefs, principles, and disciplines; we worship, repent of our sins, and humbly remind ourselves that, despite all our efforts otherwise, we are nothing without Christ. The first thing we do during Lent is receive the ashen cross on our forehead, a reminder that we — all of us — are of dust and to dust we shall return. The last thing we do — on Good Friday —  is to fall on our knees and lay the nails of our guilt at the foot of the cross. 

Lent is loaded with humility and that fiery, look-you-in-the-eye reminder that we are not God and that we are nothing without him. It’s not a message that resonates very well with contemporary society, but it’s a message the world desperately needs to hear. 

I’m not going to set myself on fire this Lent, and I’m pretty sure Pastor Danielle won’t either. But we will spend these 40 days reminding each other over and over again that Jesus is Lord. Period. Lots of things in your life are competing for that title, but none of those things can claim sovereignty over heaven and earth. Nothing and no one else will give you ultimate freedom. No other Lord will welcome you into a life of love, grace, and forgiveness. No other Lord will, at the end of the day, welcome you home. 

The best way to reconnect with that truth is to be in worship. But please don’t come expecting to be entertained. Come because God wants to speak to you, love you, challenge you, and equip you. Come because God deserves your worship and praise. Period. 

And if God sets us on fire in the process, then please make me a promise: don’t throw water on that fire. Toss some kerosene oil of salvation …… and watch it burn. 

The painting is titled "Fearless and intemperate" by Vanity Fair artist Spy.