Looking for a Preacher who Meets Your Needs

I reflected on words of Jesus in Matthew 10:40-42 today. I have not posted for about a year and a half. During much of that time, I have been searching for a new church at which to preach. Among responses I have received, one of the most common has been an acknowledgement that I am very well educated, trained, and experienced, but that they are choosing to go with a preacher or interview preachers that better meet their needs. No one ever says that I'm too old, although in a couple of cases I wondered if that is what they meant. My default is to give people the benefit of the doubt, and to hypothesize as many alternative scenarios as possible when considering why they did what they did. Jesus talked about the receiving of prophets and of his apostles by hearers in the passage from Matthew. He said that whoever receives a prophet receives a prophet's reward and that who ever received the apostles received him and that whoever received him received the one who sent him (God). He said nothing about people receiving a prophet because it meets their needs. I suspect that many kings of Israel and other Israelites felt that that Elijah, Nathan, Amos, Jeremiah, Micah, and Hosea didn't meet their needs. Those, however, were the prophets that God sent to them, and these prophets addressed their needs, but not their desires. As I get older, I realize that I have fewer years to preach and teach. That gives me a sense of urgency as I seek an audience. I realize my own failings, but I also realize that at least one congregation that did not select me did select as their preacher someone who precisely fit the description of what they said they wanted to avoid. So I continue to study, to pray, and to search. Pray that I will realize when the right door opens. Pray that the people on the other side of the door will realize that it is open, and instead of slamming it shut, invite me in.

A Father's Day Remembrance

Happy Father's Day! My father died several years ago, but I still treasure my memories of him as a father, coach, mentor, teacher, and friend. He was several inches taller than I, and much stronger. I remember well the first time that I thought I was doing my full share of the work when we lifted something together. He was sixty-three years old and I was thirty-eight. Dad was a people-person; others sensed that he genuinely cared for them. Another preacher observed on a social media site today that Waymon Summers had been a "Barnabas" (the name means encourager) to other preachers. A young school-teacher remembered that while her father had often failed in that role, her childhood minister (my Dad) had emerged as the hero who helped her find her way. Dad could see the possibility of success in a person when others could or would not. Another preacher noted that Dad was the mentor who made him be the person God wanted him to be. Dad wasn't perfect, but he worked hard, believed strongly, and took care of his family. He modeled well how to be an good father, but he was a superstar as a grandfather; his grandchildren both loved and respected him. He believed strongly in God and looked forward to Heaven. His final words to me were (and he called me back into the room as I was leaving), "See you later!" Indeed!