Today's Scripture Reading (December 6, 2023): Luke 5
His name was
Richard Alexander Harris. I never met him, not really, and yet he has had a
profound impact on my life. Richard was a poker player, and I like poker, but
that isn't how I first became aware of his existence. As with many people, I
met Richard Alexander Harris for the first time on the day that he showed up at
church. I hadn't invited him to church, but he came anyway. And that is okay.
What is
different about Richard is that he didn't come to church on a Sunday. He showed
up at church in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. And he stayed all day,
although I didn't even realize he was there. You see, Richard Alexander Harris
showed up for church in the trunk of a car. I am not even sure that he was
alive when he arrived. If he was, he died soon after, murdered, and placed in
the trunk of his own car.
That Tuesday
morning, I walked by Richard's car but didn't know he was there. That Tuesday
morning, my wife placed a reminder that you needed a placard if you wanted to
park in the church parking lot during the week. It was the only way we could
control how many cars were in the lot and ensure parking spots for staff and
visitors of the church. Richard didn't have a placard, but by then, he also
didn't care.
People
started to gather around Richard's car on Tuesday afternoon. They had been
looking for him and couldn't find him. But eventually, they found his car in
the church parking lot. They still couldn't find Richard. And then they decided
to call him on the phone one more time. And when they called him, they heard
his cellular phone ring from the trunk of his car. Finally, the police were
called, and Crime Scene Investigation showed up. They roped off the church
parking lot. It began to get dark, so they brought in bright lights to
illuminate the parking lot as they prepared to open the car trunk. It happened to
be a night when the Church Board was scheduled for their monthly meeting, so
the board and staff of the church began to arrive, only to find out that they
couldn't park in the parking lot.
Then, the
interviews began. I talked to the police several times that night. I stayed
late, long after the end of the board meeting, because Richard stayed late, and
I had decided that I would not leave until Richard left. I hadn't been at the
church when Richard arrived, but I wouldn't go home as long as he was still
there. And so, I watched the police investigation from my office window.
Later, the
media caught wind that something was going on and showed up and wanted to talk
to people around the church. And there was one common question. Was he in or
out? Was the man who ended his life in the trunk of a car in the church parking
lot of the church part of us.
And I wasn't
sure exactly how to answer the question. I mean, what exactly is the measure?
What do you have to do to be in? Are you in because you have officially joined
the church in membership? Is that what it takes? Or maybe if you attend, is
that all it takes to be in? What about the people who are now faithfully
attending the church on Facebook or who watch the services a little later on
YouTube but have never physically stepped inside the building? Are they in or
out? How many times do you have to attend? Or is it possible that showing up in
the early morning hours of a Tuesday is enough to be in?
I think Jesus
would have been okay with the last suggestion. After all, these fishermen, who
were sitting there minding their own business and washing their nets, were in;
they just didn't know it yet. He looked at them and knew they would play a massive
role in his ministry. They would make a significant impact on the emerging
church, even if they had yet to attend a church service.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: John 2
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