Represent!

            Wanda and I do a lot of visiting, especially to the elderly, to shut-ins, and to people in the hospital.  We also go to a lot of community events:  concerts, high school games, etc., and try to make a point of talking to people, especially people connected to our churches, when we do.

            What’s remarkable to me is how much this is appreciated.  I mean, obviously, it’s always nice to have someone stop by for a visit, but people seem to especially appreciate it when the pastor, or the pastor’s wife, makes a point of talking to them.

            I started thinking about why that should be.  After all, it’s not like we’re anybody all that special.  We don’t have any special charm or wisdom or anything like that.  Yet, people seem to really appreciate it every time we stop to visit with them.

            I think the reason for that is that as the pastor, or as the pastor’s wife, we represent the church to people.  The church, in turn, represents God.  So, when we take the time to visit with people, we are acting as God’s representatives, showing people that God loves them.

            I don’t mean that to sound arrogant or boastful.  It’s actually quite humbling to me.  As I said above, this is something that happens as a result of the positions we hold, not because of anything special about us.  I believe God called me to be a pastor, but I don’t think God did that because I’m somehow better than anybody else.  God calls who God calls for God’s reasons.

            The thing is that pastors are not the only people who are called by God.  Everyone is called by God.  Not to be a pastor, necessarily, but to do something that will serve God.  It can be anything.  Any talent or ability we have, anything we have a passion for, can be used to serve God in some way if we seek God’s will and ask God to help us find a way to use that talent, ability, or passion in a way that serves God.

            By the same token, pastors and pastors’ wives are not the only people who are to act as God’s representatives.  Everyone who believes in God is to act as God’s representative.  Whoever we are, whatever we do, if we believe in God, we are to be God’s representative to everyone we see.

It’s a significant responsibility, and one we always need to remind ourselves about.  One of the reasons I wear shirts and sweaters with our parish’s logo on them is to constantly remind myself that I am a representative of the church and of God.  Whatever you wear, you are a representative of the church and of God, too.

So let’s try to remember that.  If we all live our lives as representatives of God, we can make a tremendous impact on our community and on our world.