The “Monday morning quarterback” syndrome is often on my mind when I write my weekly blog. As a pastor, I go back over the worship service and my message, or sermon. Could I have done better? Well, DUH! Of course. Usually I come away uncertain of how effective I was in proclaiming the Gospel. When I greet people after worship, I do get a few compliments, which is gratifying. I especially like when someone remembers something specific that I said. All pastors can relate to this. Such are my usual “Monday morning quarterback” musings. And literally, criticizing and deconstructing the latest adventure of my beloved hometown Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the football field!

Beyond the sermon or the worship is our identity as God’s people as part of a faith community. We are Christians trying to “do” church in a post-modern world which we fear doesn’t give a rip about what the church has to offer. Do we “sell out” to culture, giving them what they want? Or worse, do we keep doing “business as usual”? And I do mean business, the business of “keeping the lights on and the staff paid.” We are in the business, er, ministry of saving lost souls. But we can get too caught up in that, “lest we miss your kingdom’s goal”.  Too much kingdom language creates other problems. We need to hold both in tension.

We need to participate in what God is doing on earth. People taste and touch this and that, sampling whatever tidbits of the kingdom and salvation they get in their daily lives. We are made for the kingdom of heaven on earth as well as in the world to come. The point of access is Jesus, which may or may not lead to joining a church. I, and we as church members need to be reconciled to that. The touchpoint of the Gospel is where the lost soul’s deepest longing connects with God’s saving Spirit. We are the ones to facilitate that! Even if my sermon was a dud!

May all of you today and this week experience God’s unconditional love, and share that with as many as you can.
Pastor Art