My mission:
"To listen for God to speak
in his Word and his people,
and to express what I hear
in words and music."
Who will soon forget the back-to-back February storms that
hit the mid-Atlantic states in 2010? The first dumped over
two feet of snow. Then, three days later, the second let fly
nearly 20 inches more on top of that. Just thinking about it
makes by back ache, with all the shoveling. Thankfully, I
have a great neighbor across the street with a snow-blower,
who likes running it and likes to share. Our church is
blessed by other neighbors
- farmers down the road - who make sure our
parking lot is clear. They also opened up various driveways
along our stretch of highway.
Most of us are plugging away at our lives, shoveling through
the storms, trying to make some headway toward our goals.
Funny thing is, real progress often comes from unexpected
sources. Like those around us. It takes a neighbor to make a
neighborhood, you know. Sometimes a good neighbor is the
person you least expect.
Jesus told his story of the "Good Samaritan" (Luke 10:29-37)
in response to the question, "who is my neighbor?" His
answer involved a stranger, a person you'd least expect to
be neighborly. Back in that day, "Good" and "Samaritan"
would have been considered apples and oranges by those who
first heard the story. And yet, Jesus told it in a way which
left little doubt that this man was, indeed, a neighbor -
not an enemy.
There is a strange sort of grace out there which opens up
our lives to such new possibilities. Only problem is, it can
be hard to accept. Many persons encounter the church in just
such a way. God opens a door not before considered. New
friends come along who care enough to take up a shovel, to
be the physical hands of Christ. Of course, it's not easy to
embrace such help. I think men have a harder time with this
part, for whatever reason. The good news is still the same,
however. The pathway is opened, and a whole new avenue is
now available. Furthermore, those who have been on the
receiving end of such grace are quickly transformed into
grace-givers. God is on the move, working in and through
unexpected people and places to grace the world.
Perhaps you are
"stuck in" by some winter storm in your life. I invite you
to check out the web pages of this congregation, which
reveal a bit of the unexpected, but life-transforming grace
of God at work among these people. If you live nearby, stop
by for a visit - no matter the weather.
If you don't live in the Baltimore metro area, I
challenge you to seek out a church near you. May you discover God's blessing,
even in the snowfall.
With snow shovel in hand,
Pete Haynes,
pastor
If you're interested, check out my monthly column at the end of our
church newsletter
"You shall go out with joy and be led
forth in peace, the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you and all the trees
of the field shall clap their hands." (Isaiah 55:12)
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