Running behind

My goal for this blog is to comment on upcoming lessons from the adult WordAction curriculum rather than past lessons. However, this past week (1) life didn't provide much time for composing blog entries (2) I had difficulty getting a handle on the lesson. I hope to do better this week.

I did want to make a couple of a posthumous comments on today's (Nov 5) lesson. I use the term posthumous because I feel like I pretty much sucked the life out of the lesson in my weak attempt to present it. It spoke of the pastoral relationship and I gave in to the ploy of pulling in an illustration of a poor example of pastoring from this week's news. After all, it doesn’t hurt to talk about what people are already talking about in the Sunday School setting where we can approach the discussion from a biblical point of view. However, no one in this morning’s group had heard anything about it, leaving me playing the role of a gossip, revealing the shocking truth of someone else’s sins. I revealed nothing that hasn’t been verified as truth by reliable sources and actually less than is now verified, but I wish I had simply left it alone. Examples of exemplary living would have left a much better taste in my mouth.

Paul amazes me in his confidence that the best life the people in his churches can live is in imitation of the way he and his fellow evangelists live. I’m much more inclined to hope that anyone who might look to me for guidance would listen to the best of the words I say rather than imitating my practices. I know that I have weaknesses that sometimes make me a poor model of Christian living. How would I ever point to myself as an example for others? Rather, my goal is to point people to Jesus as the model for holy living.

I am reminded today of words from one of my favorite DC Talk songs:

Is this one for the people?
Is this one for the Lord?
Or do I simply serenade for things I must afford?
You can jumble them together, my conflict still remains
Holiness is calling, in the midst of courting fame

Cause I see the trust in their eyes
Though the sky is falling
They need your love in their lives
Compromise is calling

(chorus)
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?
Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl?
What if I stumble, and what if I fall?