I referred in my last sermon to a recent story making the rounds on social media about a pastor named Jeremiah Steepek who allegedly dressed up as a homeless person in order to dress down his congregation for being such uncompassionate non-disciples. I said that if the story were true, and I were a lay leader (or deacon or elder or equivalent) at this pastor’s church, I’d want to fire the guy on his first day on the job for pulling the stunt and preaching such a grace-less message.
After all, had he never passed a homeless man on the street without offering to help? Yet, for some reason, Jesus probably still considered him a disciple. Does our Lord have no standards at all?
The story wasn’t true, of course, although at least one pastor—a United Methodist one—did something a little like it. One important difference is the sermon he preached. The punchline of the sermon, as reported by Snopes.com, included these words: “Too many of us want to serve God one hour each week. That doesn’t cut it. That’s not God’s plan.”
Do you see the difference? He was using language of “us,” “we,” and “our.” He was including himself in his complaint. He wasn’t putting himself above his congregation.
To me, that makes all the difference. I hope that whenever I say these sorts of convicting things, I use that same kind of language. I live in the real world, too. I struggle to be a faithful disciple, too. God forbid my language in a sermon ever suggests otherwise!
“ Do you see the difference? He was using language of “us,” “we,” and “our.” He was including himself in his complaint. He wasn’t putting himself above his congregation.
To me, that makes all the difference. I hope that whenever I say these sorts of convicting things, I use that same kind of language. I live in the real world, too. I struggle to be a faithful disciple, too. God forbid my language in a sermon ever suggests otherwise!”
Now that’s a contradictory mouthful if I’ve ever seen one… your whole ramblings is full of I’s and hardly any we’s… you speak as if your thought and your thought alone is the voice of god… what the original alleged story speaks to me personally is that so many of us are caught in our day to day lives that we forget it is through our actions to others that God or lucifer speaks, when we shun a dirty human and commit the sin of Pride (placing yourself above another human because they don’t meet your subjective standards) we are acting out lucifers will but when we stop and give our time to those in need and help out where we can even if it’s some new clothing or some food and water to help make the next couple of days easier than we are acting out gods will… I can fully see where you are coming from and maybe others might as well but I’ll suggest you take heed and look at yourself before casting your man thoughts upon another… remember WE are in this together.
May the Light of the Lord shine ever over you even through your darkest days.