Articles
Who is in front of you?
Timothy Ruffin is a young preacher in the Chattanooga area. He recently wrote the following:
Her dress is old. Her feet are tired. Her Bible is worn, and her thin gray hair rested on the pew in front of you…
The final “Amens” are said, and today, it’s Lupi’s Pizza, with the Young and the Restless.
A week has passed. The bulletins are passed, and she takes her seat...
The final “Amens” are said, and today, it’s O’Charley’s, with the Young and the Restless.
A week has passed. The emblems are passed, she breaks the bread…
The final “Amens” are said, and today, it’s Applebee’s, with the Young and the Restless.
A week has passed. The sermon has passed, with shoulders slumped, cane in hand, she slowly stands...
The final “Amens” are said, and today, its Chili’s, with the Young and the Restless.
A week has passed. The clouds have passed, it’s a beautiful day, worship was great.
The final “Amens” are said, and today, it’s Olive Garden, with the Young and the Restless...
As the hostess leads you to your table, you see her thin gray hair resting on the booth in front of you…
Her dress is old, her feet are tired, her Bible is worn; she’s all alone…
“I’ll get to know her…next week”, you say….
A week has passed. Class has passed, the announcements are read, and she is dead…
There was no one in the pew in front of you
Who sits in front of you? Who is in the pew behind you? Next to you? Across the room? Who is that new guy who just started worshipping with us? That young family? Do you know them?
In 2017, our shepherds have requested that we develop deeper connections with one another. It’s a push rooted in scripture. How can we show brotherly love to one another if we do not know each other? How can we act out the principles of John 13:34–35 if we don’t know the name of our brother? How can live according to 1 John 4:7–8, 20–21 if we do not know our sister?
Brother Ruffin’s writing should scare us. We may intend to introduce ourselves and connect to others but we just keep putting it off. What happens if we procrastinate so long that one day the opportunity no longer exists? What do we do then?
We often lament at the thought of the hymn “You Never Mentioned Him To Me.” But consider another painful thought: what if someone turns to us on the day of judgment and says, “You never talked to me . . . You never loved me . . . You never knew me”? How would we feel then?
Accept the challenge of our elders today. Look across the auditorium. Find someone you’ve never talked to before. Introduce yourself. Talk with them. Connect to them. Love them.
Start today!
