As many of you know who are
reading this, my wife Ann and I moved a
few months. While our home is not newly
built, it is new to us. We are enjoying
making the house into our home.
I realized the other day that
this is the first home where I have lived in my adult life that was not known
as the parsonage. Some of the places
where I have lived were known as the parsonage simply because it was located
right beside the church. There was one
parsonage where I lived that actually had a sign that noted it was the
parsonage. It occurred to me the other
day that perhaps none of the neighbors nearby know that I am a pastor. I suspect that some of the neighbors do know that Christians live here as we are some of the first folks to
leave the house on Sunday mornings.
It occurs to me that I have
the task in these days not only to make this house our home, but also to find a
way to show the love of Christ in this neighborhood. Since I do not live next to the church or
in a parsonage, no one knows that a pastor or even Christians live here. I am living “in cognito” as a Christian in
this neighborhood. How can I show the
love of Christ to my neighbors and not just be a secret agent for God?
In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus says, 14 “You are the
light of the world. A
town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do
people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand,
and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same
way, let your light shine before others, that they may
see your good deeds and
glorify your Father
in heaven. I can I show the love of Christ in the
place that I live? That is something I
need to get busy to figure out. And you
know what? So do you. Have a joy-filled week. -
Pastor Randy Wall
Prayer: Living
and loving God: I thank you for revealing yourself to the world
through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Give me the courage and the wisdom to reveal
the love of Christ in the world where I live.
Amen.
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