A mental stroll through what the prophets wrote in the older part of the Bible reminds me that my job is to scream at people. Now this doesn’t license me to yell obscenities in traffic, but at times I wish it did. This doesn’t authorize me to scream and belittle people in church, but some people think so. My lineage does position me to be the one to sound a warning, and although I’m rather casual about many things, I take this seriously.
Spokespersons for God in ancient days would tell fat and happy people that one day their actions will leave them hungry and glum. At the height of their indulgence, they were warned about the consequences of their neglect. Coloring outside the lines God had drawn brought an adverse outcome. God handed them the crayons and told them to play nice, but they scribbled where they shouldn’t have. They scrawled their color in areas reserved for others, ignoring the rights of the needy and the poor. They drew in the margins reserved only for the Teacher’s comments, claiming honor that only God deserved. Prophets reminded them that this assignment was for a grade.
Some pastors prefer fist-pounding, saliva-spraying sermons that delight those in the crowd that have lived a careful life of boredom and check the conscience of those that “tied one on” Friday night. Aside from the smugness of those that don’t understand that God hates bitter, judgmental attitudes as much as behavior causing porcelain-puking sessions, the intended result is there. Part of our job is to caution you that just because you can doesn’t mean you should, because ultimately you’ll wish you didn’t.
If you’ve been around me much, you know that I prefer a different pace of pontification: Less yelling and pounding, saliva spraying optional. I do wear a headset mic, but I tend not to carry on like a coach on the sidelines. Yelling might be the best approach in some church settings, but I think you’re intelligent enough to respond to pointed questions. I believe God chats with your heart in such a way that lets you know if you’re coloring outside the lines or not. I’m going to do my best to fuel that conversation and ask you to respond to it. Then, I hope to get out of the way. I’m not saying that I’m better than a screamer, I’m just saying that I’m rolling with the wheels God gave me. I’m certainly not saying that I’m better than you because I’m on this side of the microphone. I’m just coloring inside the lines God drew for me. And occasionally yelling at traffic.
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